Roadtripping
by AndreaTash
Summary: Sam and Dean agree to take their cousin Isabel along with them while she recovers from her near death experience. Together they travel the country hunting evil and searching for their missing father. Sequel to Thicker Than Water. Season 1 spoilers.
1. On the road again

Brief Intro: Here we go again. The sequel to Thicker Than Water. I'm going to _try _to write it so that you don't really need to read thicker than water, but it will be much easier to follow this one if you do.

This story picks up right where we left off and will take place during a few of episodes from Season 1, namely Hook Man, Bugs and Home as Isabel travels the country with her two cousins. I'm just warning you that I haven't decided on her fate just yet.

John will also be making an appearance later on, I've decided.

Enjoy, AT

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Belleville, Illinois

Sam finished packing all his belongings into his duffel bag and zipped it up, placing it next to the front door of his cousin's house. He looked around the place for a moment and part of him wished that he didn't have to hit the road again. He'd liked spending the last couple of weeks in Isabel's house, and so had Dean. It had been comfortable, it had been clean, it had been normal. Well, relatively normal, if you didn't count the demon that had kidnapped and almost killed his cousin.

Even though Dean and Sam had been hesitant about going away with Isabel, watching her now as she packed a suitcase with a smile on her face made them think that maybe this road trip wasn't such a bad idea after all. Maybe a change of scenery would do her good after everything she'd gone through.

Her doctors had, to both Dean's and Sam's surprise, agreed that it would not be a bad idea for Isabel to get out of town for a while and reconnect with her estranged cousins. Maybe a change would help to give her a fresh start. Considering what had happened in the last couple of weeks, Dr Gilman, her therapist, was pleasantly surprised that Isabel felt comfortable and safe around her two male relations, reaching out to them instead of pushing them away, and after years of being all alone and the possibility she may shy away from all male contact, he strongly encouraged her developing relationship with Sam and Dean.

Sam watched her from her bedroom door as she piled an impossible mass of clothes into a suitcase.

"How long do you think we're going away for? " He asked with a smile.

"I don't know" She said looking at the pile of clothes in front of her in serious contemplation "You think I'm packing too much?" She asked as if the idea had never occurred to her.

"Not if we're away for like…two years"

"It's just that I don't know what I'll feel like wearing until I the time comes. What if one day I feel like wearing something I haven't brought along with me?"

He shook his head and chuckled "God forbid" He said dramatically and turned to walk away. He headed for the lounge room where Dean had finished packing his own belongings and hunting gear into a couple of duffel bags.

"We're set to go" He said finally. He grabbed a small box and passed it to Sam "You hang on to that"

It was Isabel's medication, together with clear plain instructions from her doctor and therapist, necessary for her treatment and any emergency 'incident' she may have.

Although Dr Gilman was happy about the 'Road Trip', as Isabel called it, he had firmly warned Dean and Sam that their cousin's struggles with recent traumatic events were far from over. He also warned them that at some point in the near future, her memories could return in their entirety and with them a massive tidal wave of emotions she may not be mentally ready to deal with. Not only memories and emotions to do with her own kidnapping, torture and close brush with death, but guilt and depression associated with the death of her boyfriend Jack and old college friend Leslie, at the hand of the very same demon that had shattered her own life.

The instructions were clear, don't leave her alone for extended periods of time, know where she was at all times, make sure she takes her medication and if at any time she wanted to come back or they felt she needed to, bring her back immediately. Together with her usual medication, consisting mainly of sleeping pills, antidepressants and painkillers, Dr Gilman had give Sam a small tranquilizer gun, with a few small ampoules of a powerful muscle relaxant and sedative, only to be used in the case of an extreme emergency. Sam wasn't too convinced about it, feeling his cousin was not some animal that needed to be knocked out with a tranquilizer gun. Dean on the other hand had looked at the device in appreciation.

"So when she starts nagging and whining we can just use one of these to shut her up?" He'd asked Sam, who had not dignified his brother's question with an answer.

A whole week after her hospital discharge had already made a huge improvement on Isabel's state of mind, and Sam hoped that this trip would only improve things. She still had nightmares. Some worse than others. But she would always wake up the next morning and shrug them off, to get on with her day.

Her bruises had faded completely, with only a few smalls scars here and there where she'd been cut. Her dislocated shoulder and bruised rib had healed, only occasionally causing her discomfort, and she was glad to finally be off the painkillers. They were all glad, as it had been an initial worry that she might become addicted. Her foot was bandaged but she could put a little weight on it. She couldn't run yet, like she often did in the mornings, and Sam hoped that she would now put on a couple of pounds. She'd always been small, but after spending a week in the hospital, where she'd lost about five pounds, he worried she'd become a little too thin.

She'd quit her job at the real estate office. She wasn't worried about the money. When her parents had died, they'd left a hefty sum from their life insurance and their entire estate became hers six years ago on her eighteenth birthday. With all the money and the sale of their family house, she had bought the small cottage she lived in now, a car and put herself through college. The rest, which happened to be more than half, she put in the bank. Never touched it. Just sat there gathering interest for the last six years. Money had never been an issue, and she decided that just like Sam, after a life changing event, she would walk away from her life, take stock, and then start anew.

"Are you ready yet? " Dean called out. Sam and Dean had been patiently waiting for Isabel for the last half and hour.

"What's the hurry?" Isabel replied from her bedroom, giving it a once over before joining her cousins in the hallway "It's not like we're on a schedule. We don't even know where we're going"

"Yeah, about that" Dean started. He was all for spontaneity but they hadn't even decided which direction to head off into "Should we have a destination in mind?"

"Let's go south" She said then quickly reconsidered "No wait…let's go north"

"Right" Dean said slowly "North"

"Yeah, let's just head north and see where the road takes us"

Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam.

"North it is" Sam said, grabbing Isabel's suitcase and throwing his duffel bag over his shoulder. He walked out the door with Dean behind him.

Isabel grabbed her backpack and jacket and looked around the house. Everything was turned off and locked up. She'd emptied the fridge and cleaned out the pantry. She didn't know how long they'd be gone but figured it was probably better to be safe than sorry. She locked the front door and walked over to the Impala. Sam had already loaded their luggage into the trunk and Dean had started the engine. She jumped into the back seat, poking her head in between her cousins sitting at the front and smiled at them like a little kid.

"Alright" Dean said pulling out of the driveway "Let's go"

Her excitement lasted all of two hours, and eventually her enthusiasm waned to the point where she could no longer contain herself from complaining.

It was close to eight o'clock at night when Isabel pointed out that she was hungry, and tired, and bored. They'd been driving for six hours non stop and the road was now shrouded in darkness and there was no scenery to look at anymore.

"Can we stop somewhere? Please?" She whined.

"Again?" Dean asked. He and Sam were used to long car rides. Six hours for them was nothing. Isabel, however, was going out of her mind.

"I need to pee" She said.

Dean glanced at her briefly through the rear view mirror "No, you don't. You just went an hour ago"

"We've been driving all day" She whined.

"We've only been on the road for six hours"

"Only?" She asked "Dean, I'm _sooooo_ bored I'm actually considering asking Sam to thumb wrestle with me"

Sam turned around in his seat and faced her with an eager smile on his face "You wanna?" He held out his hand to her.

She looked at him blankly for a second "No!"

Sam's smile faded and he turned back in his seat dejectedly "How about I spy?" He tried again.

"No thanks, I'm twenty four" She said.

"Why not?" Sam said.

"Because I'm bored, not five"

"But it's fun!"

"I don't know what _your_ definition of fun is Sam, but clearly it's different from mine"

"You're the one who wanted to go on this road trip" Sam countered.

"I didn't think we'd be spending so much time in the car"

Sam turned to look at her.

"What exactly do you think a road trip is?" He asked.

"If you two don't shut up, this trip is over" Dean mockingly warned the bickering couple "I swear I will turn this car right around"

"It's not like we're going to be late to anywhere" She said, appealing to Dean who was the driver and ultimately the decision maker "Let's just stop at the next town and spend the night"

"Fine" Dean said, not really wanting to but willing if it meant it would shut her up.

They finally arrived at a small farming town and pulled into a questionable motel. Sam got out and got them a room and the three of them slowly walked to the door.

"Seriously? Here?" She asked, looking around at the dilapidated building in barely disguised disgust.

"What's wrong with it?" Dean asked. It wasn't the Sheraton, but it wasn't that bad either. He'd slept in far worse places.

"It looks like something out of a teen horror movie. Was the man at the reception called Norman Bates?" She said as Dean opened the door to the room and walked in with Sam.

"It was a woman, for your information" Sam said "Although, her name was actually Norma"

She stood by the doorway and poked her head in, taking in the shabby and basically furnished room.

"It's like my prom night all over again" She said.

Sam and Dean turned to her questioningly.

"Come again? " Dean said.

"Wow" She raised her eyebrows at Dean's question "Déjà vu"

Sam looked at her speechless and Dean blinked at her preferring to dismiss that comment "Well sweetheart, it's either here or the car" Dean said.

She faked surprise "OK, now it's getting freaky"

"Oh, that's classy" Dean said shaking his head as he set his bag on one of the queen beds.

"Isabel shut your mouth and get in here" Sam said. She smirked at him and he beat her before she had a chance to respond "Not one more word, I mean it"

She heard Dean laugh quietly and she walked into the room closing the door behind her. They settled in silence, deciding not to unpack as they would leave the very next morning. There was a diner at the end of the motel, run by the same owners, and they decided to go grab a bite to eat before turning in for the night. Once they'd finished their meal, Sam asked the waitress to bring over a glass of water. He placed three tablets on a napkin and slid it over to Isabel's end of the table, together with the glass of water.

She looked down at them glumly. As relieved as she was to be off the painkillers, the sleeping pills now frightened her. But she hadn't skipped one yet, and the thought of what might happen if she did, made her err on the side of caution. She was fairly certain that the only reason her dreams hadn't escalated into full blown psychotic episodes resulting in the vividly detailed recollection of what had happened was because the sleeping pills put her in a state of virtual catatonia, suppressing most of her dreams. She reached for them silently and quickly put them in her mouth, gulping half the glass of water down with them.

Once back in their room Dean switched on the TV, flicking through the channels in search of something half decent. Isabel changed into her pyjamas and slippers, and settled herself on top of one of the beds, her head at the foot. She rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on her arms as she pulled out a book from her bag and read silently. Sam sat next to her on the bed and rolled out their road map, tracking their trip so far and trying to decide where they should head next.

Half and hour later Sam and Dean looked up as a soft thud caught their attention. Isabel had fallen asleep, as she often quickly did after taking her sleeping pills, and her book had slid off her hands. Dean reached for the remote and turned down the volume on the TV.

"I'll get it" Sam said, getting up from the bed and walking around to Isabel.

He gently pulled her up and turned her body around, lifting the cover off the bed and settling her head on pillow. He took off her slippers and pulled her feet under the covers, careful with her bandaged ankle. She was sleeping like the dead and didn't even stir as Sam moved her. He pulled the covers around her and turned the bedside lamp off.

"They really do knock her out quickly don't they?" Dean said, referring to her medication, as he picked up her book and placed it back in her bag "I might turn in too"

"OK" Sam said, stripping to his boxer shorts and t-shirt "I'll share with her"

Dean got ready for bed too, lying there as Sam flipped through channels on a mute TV. He knew his brother still had trouble sleeping. He'd never seen Sam sleep through the whole night and wondered if he too perhaps might benefit from some of Isabel's sleeping tablets.


	2. Old habits

AN: Thankyou for the reviews, they really do inspire you to keep writing, don't they? This story will probably take a little longer to come out because I'm writing it as I go along. Here's another chapter, a light hearted one before the Winchesters get dragged into the world of the supernatural again.

Please R&R, AT

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Preston, Minnesota

The following day Sam woke up slowly to the rhythmic sounds of Dean snoring. He lifted his head groggily from the pillow and jealously watched his brother sleeping deeply. Why couldn't he ever sleep like that? He rolled over on the bed, spreading out comfortably as he realised he was alone on the bed. Soft splashing sounds from the adjacent bathroom let him know that Isabel was already awake. He closed his eyes as he relaxed on the bed.

Ten minutes later he heard the door to the bathroom open and Isabel quietly stepped out. He turned his head and opened his eyes, watching her silently as she walked over to her suitcase on the other side of the room and pulled out some clothes. She hadn't noticed he was awake, which was obvious by the fact she was only dressed in panties and a tank top. He waited for her to put on her jeans and a light green cardigan before speaking out.

"Morning" He said softly, to not scare her.

She was still a little jumpy, and was often easily startled when spoken to suddenly and would flinch when anyone touched her without warning. With this in mind, Sam had mad a point to touch her as often as he could; a playful ruffle of her hair, a casual arm around her shoulders, the occasional hug. She was trying hard too, he had to admit, often reaching out to him and Dean out of her own will.

She turned to him, only slightly surprised, and smiled.

"Morning" She looked to Dean who was still dead to the world "One of these days I'm going to duct tape his mouth"

He chuckled softly "You'll get used to it"

She frowned at him like he was trying to convince her that the Earth wasn't round "Hopefully before I end up smothering him with a pillow" She looked at her watch "It's almost ten. Should I wake him?" She said walking over to stand between Sam and Dean's beds.

She bent over to Dean's sleeping form, extending her arm towards him. Sam caught it quickly.

"Don't wake him" He said firmly and she looked at him weirdly "He's got a knife under his pillow"

"He what?" She asked, unsure she'd heard him right but Sam's expression was serious "Oh my God, you're not kidding"

"Always wake him up from a safe distance, never up close"

She looked at Dean curiously, before turning to Sam. She nodded unsurely and walked away.

"That's a little creepy" She said, putting on her socks and sneakers.

Sam decided to get up at this point "I'm going to take a shower"

"OK" Isabel said, now combing her wet hair.

"Why don't you look over the map and pick a place to go?" Sam suggested as he picked out clean clothes from his bag.

"I might go to the reception and ask what they recommend" She said "You know where I've always wanted to go? Mt Rushmore"

"Mt Rushmore" He said pensively before shrugging "Never been"

"Can we go then?" She asked excitedly "It's not that far from here"

"Sure" He said walking into the bathroom "But you tell him" He said pointing behind his back to Dean.

He stripped and stepped into the hot shower. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of flowers. It was strange to be living with a woman again. Jessica had been the first girlfriend he'd actually lived with, and his introduction to the female lifestyle. The most obvious and intriguing being the numerous mystifying bottles of flower and fruit scented lotions and gels and creams. He often wondered how they could be bothered with the whole ritual, every day. Isabel was the same. Her bathroom at home had also been stocked with similar products and he marvelled that even though Jessica and Isabel were in most ways complete opposites, when it came down to basic female habits, they were identical.

He switched the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist, standing in front of the mirror as he brushed his teeth and hair. He walked out of the bathroom to hear what he could only assume was the start of an argument.

Initially, after her attack, Dean had been unnaturally nice to both Isabel and Sam. Sam figured Dean possibly felt that Isabel would benefit from a sense of calm and an absence of tension, the latter which had been present and unyielding since the very instant they both turned up unannounced at her doorstep just a couple of weeks before with the questionable story that Sam had had a prophetic dream warning him of her immediate danger. Little did the three of them know that it would in fact come true.

It had obviously been just as disconcerting for Dean to keep the 'nice guy act' up as it had been frustrating for Isabel to tolerate it, eventually telling her older cousin to drop it and just be himself again because it was freaking her out. That was all Dean had needed to pick up where he'd left off and renew their incessant squabbling, although, to Dean's and Isabel's credit, and Sam's immense relief, they were keeping their fights in check. He watched them curiously as he leaned against the open bathroom door, they hadn't even noticed he'd come out.

"Mt Rushmore? Are you serious, why?" Dean asked, sitting up on his bed as he watched Isabel from across the room.

"Why not?" She asked back "Have you ever been?"

Dean was momentarily silenced "No"

"Well, there you go" She said, dropping a bunch of brochures on the small table near the tiny kitchenette "It'll be something new. And the lady at the reception told me about this storybook theme park in South Dakota and…"

"What?" Dean asked "Oh no, I ain't going to no fairyland"

Her cheerful expression soured immediately "Well, aren't _you_ just a ray of freaking sunshine today?"

"Give me a break, I just woke up" He said defensively "Look, I'll go to Mt Rushmore, but that's it"

"Why is it up to you?"

"Because I'm the driver, it's my car, and I don't want to go to the fairypark!"

"You know Dean, the more you complain, the less I care"

"Isabel, I don't want to go" Dean said firmly.

"Then don't go" She said, like a mother talking to petulant child "You can stay at the motel and sulk, like a baby!"

Dean rolled his eyes and threw himself back on the bed, letting out a defeated groan because he knew if he didn't give in the whole thing could go on forever

"Fine, we'll go to Mt Rushmore and the fairy land" He said in exaggerated defeat.

"Storybook land" She corrected with a cheerful smile.

"I'm really looking forward to regretting this" Dean said sarcastically.

"And I thought Sam was the drama queen!" Isabel muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Dean asked looking at her through one open eye.

"Why don't' you have a shower and get ready so we can head off?" She said sweetly.

Sam watched them quietly with a smile on his face. This was more like it; he thought to himself. It had been more than bizarre to watch his cousin and brother get along so well the way they had these last few days and he was afraid that if they didn't let out their frustrations in little bursts, like just now, they would just build up until one day one of them or, God forbid, both of them, just snapped and then all hell would break lose. No, he thought happily, this was much better.


	3. Ankeny, Iowa

AN: Spoilers for Hook Man here. You may recognize some of the dialogue. I'm just borrowing it. Please R&R. AT

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Aberdeen, South Dakota

"Wasn't that the funnest?" Isabel was beaming as they drove back from the Story book village. Needless to say, Sam and Dean had been less than impressed with the whole excursion.

"Yeah, haven't had that much fun since my last root canal" Dean said dryly.

"Ha, ha" Isabel said not to be left behind when it came to sarcasm "Well, _I_ had a great time and at the end of the day, that's really all that matters, isn't it?"

"Of course" Sam said mocking.

"Well, we've been to Mt Rushmore and the fairy park. Where do you want to go next?" Dean asked watching her through the rear view mirror.

"Well, I picked the last two things to do, so it's your turn" She said looking through her bag of souvenirs "Whatever you want to do"

"Alright!" Dean said triumphantly as he tapped his hand emphatically on the steering wheel "Payback time"

"Hey, I picked those places because I wanted to go, not to spite you!" Isabel said defensively.

Dean had cursed to high heaven the entire day at the Storybook village. He wished that they could go out hunting tonight, just so that he could kill something. It was all made that much worse by the fact that Isabel seemed to be having the time of her life, meaning that he had to at least pretend that he wouldn't rather be ripping his fingernails out.

Mt Rushmore was different though. He hated to admit it but he'd actually enjoyed the day at the Black Hills National Park. Being out in the quiet woods was more to his style. What actually surprised Dean the most about the whole trip so far, was the fun he was having with his brother and cousin on the road. He had missed just sitting back and enjoying life.

"Dean, did you hear me?" Sam's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought" Dean said turning to Sam.

"Unfamiliar territory?" Isabel said asked in mock sympathy.

"I wouldn't push my luck today if I were you Bel" Dean warned her, smiling when she responded by sticking her tongue out at him "Oh, that's very mature"

"I was saying we should turn in for the night, leave again first thing tomorrow" Sam suggested.

They all agreed, heading back to the motel and calling it a night before getting up early the next day and hitting the road once more.

They had just gone over the South Dakota border, when Dean said he had to stretch his legs and they took the opportunity to get some proper coffee. They sat on a couple of chairs outside a coffee shop in the small town of Sheldon, Iowa. Dean went to the counter to get their drinks as Sam went to the payphone. Dean set the coffees and Isabel's tea on the table, looking through the laptop while he waited for Isabel to come back from the restroom and Sam to finish with the phone call.

"Your, uh, half-caff, double vanilla latte is getting cold over here, Francis" Dean said as Sam made his way back.

"Bite me" Sam said, taking a seat next to Dean.

"So, anything?" Dean asked.

He knew that Sam had tried their contact at the FBI to see if they had anything on their father. He wasn't surprised that there was no information and he was now starting to think that wherever their father was, he didn't want to be found. Sam was apparently not too happy with that theory. He turned the laptop towards Sam

"Check this out"

Dean had found an article about a mysterious death in Ankeny, Iowa, which wasn't far from where they were. A mutilated body had been found on a remote road, and the only witness was quoted as saying the attacker was invisible. Although Sam was not fully convinced, Dean sensed there could be something interesting in that story.

"Or it could be nothing at all" Sam said skeptically "one freaked out witness who didn't see anything? Doesn't mean it's the invisible man"

"But what if it is?" Dean shot back, now playing his trump card "Dad would check it out"

Sam agreed, somewhat. There was still the issue of Isabel. He didn't think it was a good idea to take her on a potential hunt with them, without even counting her likely reluctance at getting involved in yet another potentially life-threatening supernatural situation.

Isabel had made it abundantly clear, from the start, just what she thought of her cousins' _business _and was not afraid to be vocal about it. Sam remembered that the last time it had been brought up in the midst of a not-so-friendly discussion a couple of weeks back, it had quickly escalated and resulted in one of the most violent and heated fights he'd ever witnessed between Isabel and Dean and he was not looking forward to an encore of that. Sam shuddered to think of what could have happened, had he not been there to diffuse the situation.

"Finally a proper restroom" Isabel said as she joined them at the table "What is it with gas stations locking their bathrooms? Seriously, are they afraid someone might break in and clean them?"

"Here's your tea" Dean said, sliding the hot mug to her.

"What you looking at?" She asked, tilting her head towards the computer.

"Strange death here in Iowa" Dean said quickly, ignoring his brother's warning glare "Thought we might go check it out"

"Oh" She said quietly as she held her mug of tea between her hands "What about me?"

"You're coming with us" Dean said enthusiastically as if he'd just suggested a leisurely trip to Disneyland.

"Dean, I don't think that's a good idea" Sam said.

"Well, we can't leave her alone" Dean said "And we have to go check it out. See if it turns out to be anything"

"But this is supposed to be a holiday" Isabel pouted.

"Evil doesn't take holidays Bel" Dean said "Besides, you said it was my turn to pick the next destination. I choose Ankeny, Iowa" Isabel looked at him dubiously "It might involve the invisible man"

"Ooh, let me turn on the part of my brain that gives a crap" She said wryly letting him know the prospect held no attraction to her whatsoever and looked at Sam.

"It's most likely nothing" Sam assured her.

"Alright, I'm in" She said, sipping on her tea "But we're going to Graceland after that"

They arrived at the small college town of Ankeny later that morning and Sam parked the Impala outside the frat house where Rich, the victim, lived.

"OK, Bel, you stay in the car" Dean said as he stepped out of the car "And you take my lead" He said to Sam.

Dean and Sam walked up to a couple of the guys who were out in the front yard and Dean sold them a bogus story about being frat brothers from Ohio, looking for a place to stay. They were shown in and Dean wasted no time in starting a conversation with one of the guys, while Sam finished painting his back for a football game. His name was Murph, and he didn't hesitate to answer questions regarding Rich's death. Once Sam had finished painting his back they walked out with him as they got the information they needed. Murph told them Rich had been on a date, the witness was Lori Sorensen, the reverend's daughter.

"You both crashing here?" Murph asked as they walked outside.

"Actually there are three of us" Sam said. Murph looked around, not finding the third person "She's in the car" Sam explained.

"_She_?" Murph asked, grimacing "Uh, actually, you know, chicks aren't allowed to stay in the house, it's sort of a rule set by the university. You'd have to talk to…" His voice drifted as his eyes wondered off and Murph appeared to have been rendered speechless "_That_ her?"

"What?" Sam asked confused as he and Dean followed his gaze. Realization set in and Dean and Sam looked at each other.

Isabel had stepped out of the car and was leaning against the bonnet. One of the guys that had been hanging around the yard when they'd arrived had walked over to her and was now blatantly trying to chat her up. From where they were standing they couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it was obvious that Isabel was not distressed by this bold display of male attention. If anything, they noted with a mixture of wariness and irritation, she seemed to be kind of enjoying it.

"Yeah" Dean said slowly.

"She's hot" Murph said, still staring blatantly at her.

"What?" Dean asked edgily.

"I mean" Murph said back-peddling as he turned to the boys again, smiling "I'm sure we can make an exception. I mean, no one has to know your girlfriend's crashing, right?"

Dean clenched his jaw and took a deep breath "She's our _cousin_" he explained calmly.

"Right" Murph said winking at them, letting them know he clearly didn't believe Dean "_Cousin_, I get ya"

"You know what?" Sam interrupted, fearing Dean's reaction to Murph's insinuation "We might just find a motel nearby. We don't want you to get into trouble" He took Dean's arm and pulled him away, heading back to their car.

"I thought I told you to stay in the car" Dean said sharply once he reached his cousin and her new companion.

"Am I a hostage now?" Isabel challenged.

"Let's go Bel" Sam said as they reached their car.

Isabel turned to Sam "But I thought…"

"In the car, now" Dean said firmly.

She turned to the guy and gave him a small apologetic wave before jumping back into the car.

"We're not staying there?" She asked once they were driving off.

"No" Dean replied tersely.

They drove for about ten minutes before Dean parked the car in front of a small brick church. Isabel looked at the building in dismay, before turning to her cousins with a horrified look.

"We can't just go in there" She said as Dean and Sam stepped out of the car.

"It's a church. Why not?" Dean asked opening the door for her.

"Well for one, you might burst into flames as soon as you step in" She said dryly "And second…OK, I don't actually have a good argument, but it just doesn't seem right. None of us are religious"

"You are welcome to stay in the car" Dean said walking off "Unless of course, you're afraid _you_ might burst into flames"

She looked at him offended, and then turned to Sam. He was watching her patiently and she rolled her eyes, following Dean

"Fine" She huffed "I just want you both to know that I'm not happy about this"

"Duly noted" Dean said nonchalantly, continuing to walk ahead.

The three of them sat towards the back, listening to the reverend as he spoke about Rich's death and his daughter's involvement with him. It was easy enough to spot Lori in the congregation and Sam smiled slightly at her when she turned and spotted the unfamiliar faces.

After the service the three of them hung around, subtly following Lori as she spoke quietly to another girl. Once the girl left, the three of them walked to Lori, and Sam struck up a conversation. Dean and Isabel remained quiet as Sam laid the groundwork, until the girl's father appeared. Dean shot Isabel a meaningful look and the two of them led the reverend away, under the pretence of looking for a church group.


	4. Hook Man

AN: This is actually coming along more easily than I thought. I had some doubts at the start. I wanted to give a special thanks to all who've reviewed so far, HYPERLITE.HO, hiddenwritings, hotforjensen101. You guys are awesome! Thanks. AT

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Ankeny, Iowa

Sam and Dean were looking at Isabel, waiting for her to stop laughing hysterically as they stood outside the library. Dean looked at his watch then back at her, expectantly.

"I'm sorry… I…" She panted out, doubling over as her laughter slowly subsided "Did…You…Ha ha….The_ hook man_?" She asked wiping tears from her eyes.

"Every legend has a source Isabel" Sam explained patiently "A place where it all began"

"I'm sorry, I know you are being serious, but…_The Hook Man_?" Isabel said clutching her abdomen as she fought another bout of the giggles "Oh, my ribs hurt"

Dean was about to point out that two weeks ago he and Sam had rescued her from a incubus demon that had raped, tortured and almost killed her along with a group of innocent girls, even though she had laughed at them when they first came to warn her about it, and was it funny _now_? But he didn't have the heart. By pointing out her previous misplaced scepticism of the supernatural he would only remind her of what she'd suffered through, and although he wanted her to take this seriously, he didn't want to hurt her by throwing something like that in her face.

"What about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures and the invisible killer?" Dean asked Sam, deciding it was probably best to ignore Isabel until she got a hold of herself.

"Maybe the hook man isn't a man at all. What if it's some kind of spirit?" Sam said as the three of them stepped into the library.

They decided to research this, and asked the librarian to bring the arrest records for the town. She came back to where the three of them were sitting about fifteen minutes later and placed two large boxes covered in dust in front of them. They began searching through the papers.

"So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh? " Dean asked Sam and Isabel.

"Welcome to higher education" Sam said sarcastically.

Three hours later and they were still looking through records. Isabel closed a file she was reading and threw it on the table loudly. Sam and Dean turned to her.

"I would just really like to point out, how much fun I'm _not_ having" She said, looking at her watch.

"You know Isabel, you should never miss a good chance to shut up" Dean said, matching her sour tone.

"Hey, check this out" Sam said. He'd found a record from 1863. A preacher named Jacob Carnes that had been arrested for the murder of over a dozen prostitutes. The way they had died, the fact that Carnes had a hook for a hand and the location of all these events, all fit together.

"Let's check it out" Dean said.

They drove to 9 mile road and the boys got out of the car. Dean opened the trunk and handed Sam a rifle. Isabel opened the door and moved to step out.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Sam asked her with raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean? I'm going with you" She said looking up at them.

Dean walked over to her and shut the door "No you're not. You're staying in the car"

"By myself?" She asked worriedly as she wound the window down "In the dark? No, I'll get scared"

"We're going after a vicious ghost!" Dean pointed out "_That_ doesn't scare you?"

She thought about it for a second. Actually, she thought to herself, maybe it was a good idea to skip the ghost hunting part.

"What if something bad happens?" She asked weakly.

In spite of all her bravado and caustic quips she was now beginning to get the feeling that this was the part where something could go terribly wrong and splitting up might not be all that smart, even if her cousins were leaving her in the car thinking it was the safest alternative.

"Nothing will happen to you. Stay in the car, lock the doors and honk if you see anything or anyone come towards you" Dean said.

"I meant to you? What if something happens to _you_?" She looked at him worriedly, her furrowed brow showing her concern

"Tell you what" Dean gave her a slight smile, always appreciating the moments when Isabel let her true feelings show "Anything happens and the car's all yours"

She knew he was trying to lighten the mood and make her feel at ease, but his choice of words were anything but comforting at this particular moment. Isabel looked at Dean horrified.

"Dean, that's not funny" She choked out.

He sighed and leaned down, resting his forearms on the open car window, now eye level with Isabel.

"Sorry kitten" He said ruffling her hair gently "We'll be fine, we've done this before. Don't worry OK?"

"We'll be back before you know it, Bel" Sam said with a reassuring smile.

She nodded and locked all the doors. Watching nervously through the windows as Sam and Dean walked away from her and deeper into the woods. She frowned as she looked around the car nervously. When she had suggested and practically begged her cousins to go on this road trip, she had not anticipated that it would involve long hours of research in the library and midnight drives out to the middle of nowhere to catch ghosts. She had always had a vague idea of what her cousins and uncle did, but she had never had first-hand experience.

She knew now that _this_ was the kind of life Sam and Dean had had growing up. This is what _her_ life would have been like if John Winchester had agreed to take her in like she'd asked him when her parents died and for the first time ever she felt a small amount of gladness and relief that he hadn't. She'd never felt sorry for either of her cousins or her uncle, reserving that kind of indulgence only for herself. But now, for the first time placing herself in their shoes, she realized that while her life had been far from perfect in the eight years since her parents died, Sam and Dean's lives had been even further from perfect and for much longer.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of an engine through the bushes. A few moments later she saw some headlights through the trees. It stopped a few yards away from her and she lowered her head as she watched him through the two front seats of the Impala. He didn't seem to have noticed there was anyone in the car. Her heart started pounding as an officer got out, heading off in the same direction Sam and Dean had.

"Oh, crap" She cursed out loud for no one to hear.


	5. Second Thoughts

AN: Thanks for the reviews guys. Here's another chapter. AT

"Hey, don't we get a phone call?" Dean called out from the cell he was sharing with Sam as the officer who had arrested them just five hours earlier walked over to them and stood outside their cell.

"No need" He said "You're free to go"

"Really?" Sam asked curiously, standing up from where he'd been sitting on the bed, if one could call it that. It was true that their firearms hadn't actually been loaded with real ammunition, but it was strange that they would just let them go. The police hadn't even fingerprinted them.

"Yep" The officer said, pulling out his keys and unlocking the cell door "Your girlfriend's waiting for you outside" He said looking at Sam.

Sam frowned wondering who he was talking about. It could only really be Isabel "Isabel?" He asked the officer.

"How many girlfriends do you have, boy?" The officer asked him with a teasing smirk.

The officer led them out into the foyer of the station, where Isabel was sitting on one of the chairs. Her legs were crossed, and her arms were also crossed over her chest. Her expression was one of both amusement and self-satisfaction as she watched them with a half smile and a raised eyebrow.

"All yours Miss" The officer said as he reached Isabel "Keep them out of trouble, will ya?"

"I can only try Sir" She said standing up and walking over to the boys "So girls, how was the slumber party?"

"Splendid" Dean mused as another officer returned with their personal effects "How did you get us out?"

"I saw you getting arrested" She said still smiling "I came by and told them you were just a couple of dumbass pledges"

"And they believed you?" Dean asked.

She smiled wickedly and spread her arms, doing a full spin in front of them before turning to them and raising her eyebrows "Oh boys, please"

Now that they looked at her, it was difficult to ignore the short black skirt, brown knee length boots and low cut beige top. Sam looked at her disapprovingly and Dean just shook his head with a chuckle.

"You're my _girlfriend_ now?" Sam asked with his hands on his hips as he stared down at her.

"I didn't want them to know I was related to you two halfwits" She said, raising her hand to reveal Dean's car keys around her index finger.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree as he grabbed the keys from her "My baby"

"Yeah, I'm fine, by the way" She said following them out of the station. She walked along Sam and nudged him on the ribs to get his attention "I've been driving his _baby_ all morning, should I tell him?"

Sam smiled back at her "Please, allow me" He whispered conspiratorially to her before taking a step back "You scratched the car?" He yelled loudly whilst giving her an exaggerated wink. Her smile immediately disappeared.

Out of the corner of her eye Isabel saw Dean freeze in his spot and slowly turn to them. She looked at Sam with a warning frown on her face.

"Sam, what are you doing?" She asked quietly.

"Just go along with it" He whispered back to her "Watch him go nuts"

"I'd rather not" She looked at him dubiously "He looks like he wants to kill me" She said quickly before turning to Dean, who was now fast approaching them. His eyes were narrowed and focused angrily on Isabel.

"Dean, it was an accident" Sam said stepping in front of Isabel and blocking her from Dean's menacing advance.

"You scratched my car?" Dean asked, holding to his rapidly vanishing self-control. He tried to get around Sam, but he was keeping Isabel close behind him.

"Dean, she didn't mean it" Sam kept saying "We can fix it. It's no big deal"

"No bid deal?" Dean asked angrily over Sam's shoulder "Isabel, get over here and tell me what the hell happened to my car!"

Isabel panicked, grabbing at the material of Sam's jacket with her fists as she used him as a shield against her older cousin "I didn't scratch your car Dean" She protested, poking her head around Sam's body "He's lying!"

"Fess up now sweetheart, because if I find even one little scratch anywhere on it…" He threatened her, still trying to get around Sam. Dean stopped suddenly as he heard a laugh escape his brother "What are _you_ laughing at?" He asked focusing his attention on him.

"You" Sam said, now breaking down into a fit of chuckles "You should have seen your face"

Dean looked from Sam to Isabel suspiciously "He's joking?"

"Yes, you idiot, I told you he was lying" Isabel said annoyed.

Sam laughed again and started walking towards the car shaking his head "You two are funny" He said over his shoulder.

Isabel and Dean shared a look before turning back to glare daggers at Sam's back.

"You thought that was funny?" Dean asked as he and Isabel followed him down the steps of the police station onto the street.

"You should have seen the look on your face Dean" Sam said, still amused "Priceless"

"Priceless? Pull something like that again and you'll get a kick to the crotch" Isabel said bitingly "How's _that_ for a fair price?"

As they stepped out, a flurry of cops rushed past them. Dean and Sam shared a look and Isabel groaned, knowing that they were now going to follow and investigate, rather than return to the motel and relax.

They followed the police cars to the sorority, finding Lori outside. Her father and the sheriff were arguing about something, before the reverend pulled Lori away and they drove off.

"Dude, sorority girls!" Dean said excitedly to Sam as two girls walked out of the house "Think we'll see a naked pillow fight?"

"For Christ's sake Dean" Sam said rolling his eyes at his brother's one-track mind.

"Oh come on Sammy" Dean said smiling mischievously "All girls are just a couple of margaritas away from girl on girl action!"

"Grow up, will you?" Sam said.

"Well, in his defence, he's kinda right" Isabel said shrugging "You know, when I was in college, my roommate and I got wasted one night, and before we knew it…"

Dean turned to her sharply "Stop right there" He warned her "Don't you dare ruin that fantasy for me"

She raised her eyebrows "Sorry" She said lifting her hands in a gesture of surrender "Never happened"

"Can you two get your minds out of the gutter for just one minute and focus?" Sam cut in impatiently "We need to go in and check it out"

They parked the car outside and Dean turned back towards Isabel.

"Oh, don't worry" She said, beating him to it "I'm staying in the car"

They left her, returning about fifteen minutes later.

"Taylor's dead" Sam said as they drove off.

"Lori's roommate" Isabel said "Find anything?"

"I think we're definitely dealing with some manifestation of the Hook Man" Sam said, he pulled out a piece of paper in which he'd drawn the symbol that had been painted on the girl's wall with blood "And he left this symbol on the wall"

"Wait a minute" She frowned as she looked at it then snatched it from him. She started flipping through the files and papers they'd collected during their research at the library the day before. She found what she was looking for and shoved the printout towards Sam "Look at that"

He grabbed it off of her and looked at Dean as he recognised the symbol.

"It's definitely the spirit of Jacob Carnes"

"Alright, let's find the dude's grave, salt and burn the bones, and put him down" Dean said in a determined tone.

"Hang on there, Mulder" Isabel said, reading from another article "After execution, Jacob Carnes was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery. In an unmarked grave"

Sam and Dean sighed in frustration.

"Super" Dean said.

They drove back to the motel, thinking about the next plan of action. Isabel changed into more comfortable clothes as they boys took turns having a shower.

"OK, so we know it's Jacob Carnes" Sam said as Dean stepped out of the bathroom "But we still don't know where he'll manifest next. Or why"

"I'll take a wild guess" Isabel said as she laid down on the bed "I think Sam's little friend, Lori, has something to do with this"

"I think I've got something" Sam said looking up from this laptop and papers on the desk near the window.

There were a whole bunch of murders in the town's history connected to clergymen, dating back to 1932. But there was still the question as to how all this was connected to Lori Sorensen.

"Reverend Sorensen" Dean said connecting the dots "You think he's summoning the spirit?"

"We should keep an eye on Lori's place tonight" Sam said.

"Isabel" Dean said "How do you feel about dropping by Lori's place while we go find this grave?"

"What?" She asked, sitting up on the bed and looking at Dean with a reluctant frown on her face.

"Just go over and talk to her" Dean explained, slipping a shirt on over his jeans "you know what I mean…be girly and do that girl talk stuff"

She scoffed "I'm not very good with the girl talk" She said tilting her head towards Sam "Can't Samantha do it?"

Dean snorted and Sam looked up at them annoyed.

"I hate to agree with Isabel" Sam said as if it truly pained him to "but I don't think she should go near the reverend or Carne's grave"

"It's settled then. I stay here" Isabel said, slumping back onto the bed and looking at Sam with narrowed eyes "I'm also going to pretend that wasn't a slur on my virtue"

"Virtue" Sam scoffed "Good one"

Silenced by surprise at Sam's uncharacteristic insult, she settled for rewarding him with an unamused glare.

Dean nodded. Sam was right, it was probably better not to involve Isabel in this whatsoever. If the reverend was in fact summoning this evil spirit to protect his daughter from immorality, then he didn't want Isabel anywhere near the reverend or his daughter. He was also not going to take Isabel to a cemetery in the middle of the night to dig up a grave.

"You stay in this room…" He started.

"Lock the doors and call you if anything happens, I know" She finished for him "Be careful"

"You too" Sam said as the boys headed out.

They jumped into the car and Dean wasted no time in driving off towards Lori's house. Sam glanced back towards the motel as they rounded the corner and it disappeared out of sight.

"Think she'll be OK?" He asked Dean.

"She was fine last night. Saved both our asses" Dean shrugged "Why? Do you think that maybe she should come along?"

"I don't know" Sam said unsurely "Not really. I mean, it's not safe, is it?"

"No safer than leaving her in a motel room all alone at night" Dean pointed out.

Sam frowned as he looked out the window "I hadn't thought of it like that"

"Really? I had" Dean said "I still don't want her coming out to dig up a grave with me in the middle of the night"

"I don't want her near Lori or her dad either" Sam said then turned back to Dean "Just hurry back to her Dean, will you? I don't want her alone all night"

"Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea" Dean said finally.

Sam sighed loudly, partly agreeing with Dean, partly not.

"I think she's getting better Dean" He said in a hopeful tone "I think this trip is helping her, although maybe it was too soon to take her on the road. You think we should take her back home?"

Dean looked at Sam strangely as he pulled up to Lori's house "It honestly hadn't crossed my mind" He said with a frown "I meant that coming to Iowa to hunt an evil spirit was a bad idea. Why? Do you _want_ to take her back?"

"Not really, no" Sam said.

Dean nodded; satisfied with his brother's answer "Good, 'cause we're not" He looked up towards the reverend's house across the street "No, run along Samantha"


	6. Road Trip or Guilt Trip?

AN: Another chapter, and so quickly too! This one is pretty long because I won't be updating for a few days. Once again, thanks a bunch for the reviews guys. Toodles, AT

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Ahh, the wonderful world of dreams. Isabel turned in bed and further buried herself in the soft sheets and blankets. She loved these moments of semi-consciousness, that transition time within the sleep cycle that threatened complete wakefulness if you let it, if you didn't surrender to the wave of drowsiness, waiting eagerly to draw your mind into yet another round with Morpheus.

The dream had been pleasant, that much she remembered, but she was hesitant to dwell on it, to reach into her mind and recall the details that were still so fresh they were skimming the surface of her consciousness. Any increase in brain activity now might falsely give her brain the indication that she'd had enough sleep and was ready to wake up. She was not. She hadn't had much sleep the night before, worrying about her cousins in the county jail, and now her body demanded further restorative rest. She pushed all thoughts aside, keen to once again invite the alluring peacefulness of slumber.

"Isabel!" Dean shouted as he rushed into the motel room "Come on Bel, wake up!"

Isabel frowned in irritation at being so offensively awakened. She poked her head out of the covers and groaned as she looked at the alarm clock.

"What the…Dean, it's not even 6 am" She croaked out groggily She looked at Dean and sat up on bed, her face now twisted in concern as all thoughts of sleep and dreams vanished in an instant. He was covered head to toe in dirt "Oh my God, are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Where's Sam? Has he called?" Dean asked impatiently as he grabbed some clothes and a clean towel.

"No, he's probably still at Lori's" She said with a yawn "Did you find the grave?"

"Yeah, it's done" He said heading to the bathroom "Call Sam and tell him, will you? I need a shower"

He disappeared into the bathroom and Isabel yawned loudly again. She slowly stood up and walked to the desk where her cell phone was charging. There were no missed calls from Sam, so she scrolled down the contact list and rang him.

"Isabel?" Sam's voice was hushed.

"Sam! Are you still at Lori's?" She asked.

"I'm at the hospital" He said softly "Last night…"

"Hospital?" She cried out in a panic "What happened? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine" He said quickly "Isabel…Isabel, shut up for a second!" He said trying to calm her down "I'm OK. Is Dean back yet?"

"Yeah, he's in the shower" She said, now infinitely more relieved, although still anxious at not knowing what was going on "What the hell happened Sam?"

"Lori's dad was attacked. Get Dean and come pick me up at the hospital" He said "There are cops around. I can't really talk right now. See you soon"

With that he hung up and Isabel froze mid sentence when she heard the line disconnect. She looked at the phone in anger as if it had been the phone itself that had hung up so abruptly on her. The door to the bathroom opened and Dean came out amidst a cloud of steam.

"And?" He asked pulling on his jeans and sitting on one of the beds to put his shoes on.

"He hung up on me" Isabel said in outrage.

"He still at Lori's?"

She grimaced "Hmmm, actually, he's at the hospital"

Dean's head snapped up "What?"

"It's OK" She said quickly "He said he was fine. He wants you to go pick him up"

"What happened?" Dean asked. He was fully dressed now and he grabbed his jacket and car keys.

"He wouldn't tell me" She said "But he said he was fine. The reverend was attacked"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He said looking at her expectantly "Get moving!"

She looked at him blankly until it dawned on her that he meant he wanted her to go with him

"Oh right!" She said quickly grabbing her clothes from where she'd left them hanging on the chair "I need my medication" She said as she started stripping.

Dean looked at her, quickly turning away before she finished taking her t-shirt off. He started searching through Sam's bag until he found the small blue bag that held her pills. He carefully read the instructions, searching through the bottles until he found the one she needed for her morning prescription. He held them in his palm and went over to the kitchenette, pouring a glass of water. By the time he turned back to her, she was already dressed and in the process of brushing her teeth. She didn't see him as he followed her into the bathroom. She bent over the sink to rinse her mouth and wash her face, and screamed in surprise as she found Dean's reflection behind her in the mirror.

"What are you doing?" She asked "You can't follow me _into_ the bathroom!"

"Sorry" He said, sounding anything but. He held out his hand to her, the pills on his open palm "Your pills"

She snatched them off of him, giving him a quick glare, and put the pills in her mouth. He held out his other hand to her with the glass of water. She took that too and gulped it down.

"Thanks" She said. They stood there for a minute looking at each other "You gonna watch me pee?" She asked.

"Just hurry up" He said turning and walking away "I'll be in the car"

By the time they reached the hospital the sun had taken over the sky, having driven the moon completely away from sight. Isabel had perked up considerably since her rude awakening, but looking sideways at his cousin she could tell he was utterly exhausted.

"You look tired" Isabel said gently.

"I'm bushed, but I'll be fine" He said keeping his eyes on the road "Did you sleep OK?"

"I was worried about you two" She said honestly "I slept better than last night, though"

"Sorry, we just didn't think it would be good for you to come along with either of us" He said with an apologetic glance her way "Some of this stuff is pretty scary"

"I know that Dean, but it's not doing my mind any favors to leave me alone, locked in a motel room, worrying about you two all night either, you know?"

"Sorry kitten" He said "This will be over soon, I promise. Then we can get back to our trip and forget all this hunting evil stuff. I shouldn't have dragged you here in the first place"

"It's not that" She explained "I'm not pissed off about this whole hook man thing, I'm pissed off that you guys are shutting me out. I have no clue what you're doing or what's going on"

'You want_ in_ on this?" He asked curiously.

"No Dean, I don't really" She said "But if all you and Sam wanted to do was get back on the road to hunt evil spirits and whatnot, then you should have just said so and left me back at the loony bin, instead of dragging me along under the pretense of a family road trip"

He pulled up hastily to a parking spot in the hospital lot, slamming the brakes and making her grab for the dashboard and door handle to steady herself in a reactive reflex to his abrupt and violent stop. He turned to her slowly, his expression unhappy.

"We should have _left you_?" He repeated in a wounded yet indignant tone.

She regretted upsetting him, yet wondered if she'd hit a nerve, if she'd accurately stumbled into something that was true.

"Well, clearly I'm a burden" She stated plainly.

Dean sighed impatiently "Will you stop being so melodramatic Isabel? You are _not _a burden" He said stepping out of the car to head towards the hospital entrance.

She followed him and stepped out, loudly banging the door shut behind her. He turned to her in surprise.

"Then what am I Dean?" She asked, starting to get agitated "I'm not helping, I'm not out there fighting with you, all I do is sit in a room all night waiting for you to come back. I know I complain a lot Dean, but this…this I really mean. I don't want to spend every night alone worrying about you and Sam. If that's what this trip is going to be like, then I'd rather you take me back home"

"Can we argue about this later?" Dean asked uncomfortably, glancing nervously around him as he turned to make another attempt at reaching the front entrance.

"No Dean" She persisted, glad there weren't that many people around to overhear their argument "If it's going to be like this, then take me back"

He turned around towards her sharply "Why? So you can go back to hating me?" He yelled angrily causing a couple of the people around the entrance area to look their way curiously.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath "Is _that_ what this is about?" She asked him opening her eyes "Are you doing all this out of guilt? Is that what this trip is? Dean, we've gone over this already, my parents died, your dad didn't want to take me in, there was nothing you could do. We've moved on from all that. It's taken us eight years, but here we are"

"Yes Isabel, here we are and I don't want to go back! I don't want to leave you. I don't want us to not talk to each other for another eight years. I don't want you to hate me again" He finished quietly, avoiding her gaze.

"Dean, I never hated you" She said taking a step towards him "You don't seriously believe that, do you?"

He looked down her, shifting unsurely in his spot "Kinda" He shrugged.

"Dean…you and Sam…you are all I have" She said grabbing his hand and looking up at him pleadingly "I love you both, and I always will, no matter what. You have to know that"

He looked away from her, swallowing the lump in his throat "I don't do chick flick moments" He said quietly, though he squeezed her hand gently, letting her know that although he could not form words to respond to her own, he felt the same.

She smiled widely "You love me too. You love me too" She said in a singsong voice.

"Some days more than others" He said rolling his eyes, though he smiled at her.

"I don't really want to go back home" She said serious again "I was just testing you"

"You what?" He asked in disbelief.

"I was semi-serious. I wanted to know if it was something_ you_ wanted. I don't want you to feel obligated to drag my crazy ass across the country with you" She said "I'm prepared to go back if it's what you want. If this is getting too hard"

"It's not" He said "I'm not taking you back"

"Good" She said, then pulled him along towards the sliding doors "Let's go find Sam"

Sam was telling the Sheriff what had happened at Lori's house, as Dean and Isabel walked up. They were being escorted by two officers and Isabel looked nervous. Dean waved and smiled at him.

"Let them through" The sheriff said.

Dean and Isabel quickly rushed to Sam. Isabel breathed out in relief and threw her arms around Sam, squeezing tightly. He squeezed back, trying to reassure her.

"You OK?" Dean asked, looking at Sam closely.

"Yeah" Sam said as Isabel let him go and took a step back.

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked.

"Hook Man" Sam replied quietly.

Dean raised his eyebrows "You saw him?"

"Wait" Isabel said looking at Dean "I thought you torched the bones"

"I did" Dean said defensively "Maybe it's not Jacob Carnes"

"It sure looked like him" Sam said "And that's not all. I don't thing the spirit is latching on to the reverend"

"Well, yeah" Dean said "The guy wouldn't send the Hook Man after himself"

"I think it's latching on to Lori" Sam said looking from Dean to Isabel. He stopped mid-thought and looked at his cousin closely "Isabel, are you OK?" He asked tilting his head towards her.

She was staring into one of the rooms through the glass partition. A girl lying on a hospital bed hooked up to a ventilator was on the other side. She suddenly saw herself in the girl's place and realized she had _been_ the girl; she had been in hospital, hooked up to those same machines. The memory struggled against her subconscious efforts to push it away. Her face was pale and she had started to shiver.

"Can we get out of here?" She asked, looking around at all the cops in the hallway, before turning her face to Dean and Sam "Like…now?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance "Come on, let's go" Dean said, grabbing her arm and gently leading her out.

She felt immediately better as they left the stale, cold environment of the hospital. Once outside she let out a deep breath. Sam turned to her, watching her sympathetically.

"You OK?" He asked.

She nodded and gave him a small shy smile "Sorry. I just…I remembered something" She swallowed as she struggled not only to get her words out, but to make sense of what she'd just felt "Something I didn't want to. I had to get out of there"

"It's OK" Sam said pulling her into a hug. He rested his chin on top of her head and looked at Dean. He mouthed the words 'medication'. Dean nodded in assent. He pulled away from her and held her face in his hand as he bent down to look into her eyes "OK?"

She smiled brightly this time "Yeah, I'm fine" She said.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked encouragingly.

She looked at him hesitantly and shook her head. This was not the time or the place "No"

"Sure?" He insisted.

She looked from Sam to Dean "So, where to now?"

They went to a diner nearby, to kill time before the library opened and to also grab a bite to eat. Isabel had settled and now she felt fine, although she could feel the questions from her cousins just under the surface. For now though, it seemed they were all content with just letting it slide, knowing she would at some point have to talk about it.

Their food came and the boys started digging in, gulping the coffee down and asking the waitress for another refill. She watched them closely. They looked really tired, which was understandable as she figured they hadn't slept all night.

"Sam, you said the spirit was latching on to Lori?" Isabel asked, wanting to get back on track so they could solve this damn mystery and continue their holiday.

Sam nodded as he finished his second cup of coffee "Last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman"

Isabel's mouth fell open in surprise "So what?" Dean asked.

"So she's upset about it" Sam said looking at his brother strangely "She's upset about the immorality of it. She told me that she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished"

"OK, so she's conflicted, and the spirit of Preacher Carnes is latching on to repress the emotions and maybe he's doing the punishing for her, huh?"

"Right" Isabel said, now following the conversation "Boyfriend comes on too strong, girlfriend tries to make her into a party girl, dad has an affair"

"Remind me not to piss this girl off" Dean said.

"But you burnt the bones" Isabel said.

"Yeah, and buried them in salt. Why didn't that stop him?" Dean asked.

"You missed something" Sam said.

Dean looked at Sam tiredly "No, I burnt everything in that coffin"

"Did you get the hook?" Isabel and Sam asked simultaneously.

Dean looked at both his brother and cousin "Hook?"

They spent the rest of the morning in the library, looking through more papers, with the purpose of finding the location of the hook. They had concluded that it had to be the source of Carnes' power. It was around lunchtime that Dean found the records of Jacob Carnes' execution. All his possession had been remanded to St Barnabas Church.

"That's where Lori's father preaches" Sam said.

"Not just that, but where she lives" Isabel said.

Dean nodded "Maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and their daughters for the past 200 years"

"We need to check the records and find that hook" Sam said.

Isabel and Dean both groaned, knowing that this entailed further research. Half and hour later Dean had fallen asleep on the papers he'd been reading, Isabel was now doodling on a blank piece of paper.

"Here" Sam said, startling both Isabel and Dean "St Barnabas donations, 1862. Received silver-handed hook from state penitentiary" He sighed as he continued to read "Reforged"

"They melted it down?" Isabel groaned.

"Turned it into something else" Sam said.

"We need to get into that church and Lori's house and search for anything that looks like silver" Dean said "It needs to be melted"

"We'll have to break in" Sam said.

"Break into a church?" Isabel asked alarmed "That's all kinds of wrong"

"Has to be done" Dean said matter-of-factly "Take your pick" He said to Sam.

"I'll take the house" Sam said.

"OK" He said and they stood to leave "Hey" Dean said to Sam as they were walking to the car "Stay out of her underwear drawer"

"Don't listen to him" Isabel said to Sam as she got into the car "Take a peek. That's where all the good stuff is"

"I'm not going to go through her things" Sam said as Dean pulled out onto the road.

"Sure, not _her_ things! " Isabel said "_My_ things you had no problem with, but Lori, Oh no, couldn't possibly go through _her_ things"

"That was Dean, by the way" Sam said referring to the instance where his older brother had searched and rummaged through every inch of her bedroom while she'd been out on a date.

Dean's head snapped up and he caught her eye on the rear view mirror. She narrowed her eyes at him as she glared at him. He gave her an apologetic shrug.

"Know what, you guys? So far you've taken me to the church, the library, the hospital. Why, this is the best road trip ever!" She said in mock cheerfulness.

"I take it you were being sarcastic" Sam pointed out, his voice dripping with sarcasm all of his own.

"I am _so_ picking the next place we're going" Isabel muttered under her breath.


	7. Moving On

Another installment with a pinch more fluff, or angst, rather. I don't know, you be the judge.

She ended up talking Dean and a very reluctant Sam into taking her with them, on the condition, of course, that she would stay in the car no matter what happened. The Impala was starting to feel like a second home to her now. She watched anxiously from the back seat of the car as Dean ransacked the reverend's home and Sam desecrated the church. She figured if her cousins were in fact banishing an evil spirit that was killing people then God would surely understand, right?

The whole thing was over and done with in less than two hours, but sitting in that car, waiting for her cousins to come out of that church in one piece, had made her feel like the night would never end. It took everything she had to not run out of the car and rush into that church herself. The relief she felt as she saw her cousins come out with Lori between them, was so immense that she could not hold it in and only then did she jump out of the car and run to them.

"Are you OK?" She said loudly to all three "Is everyone OK?"

"It's over" Dean said, wrapping an arm around her "It's over. We're all OK He's gone"

Isabel yawned loudly for what she guessed was about the twenty-seventh time since the excitement and buzz of the night's events had worn off. Hours later and they were still talking to the police. She looked up at the sky, the sun was starting to rise and she felt so incredibly tired. She didn't want to think just how tired Sam and Dean would be after having barely slept in three days. An ambulance had arrived and Lori was being taken care of by paramedics while Sam was hanging near her as he talked to another police officer.

She felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. She wondered if the whole scene, with the police and paramedics, had been similar on the night that her cousins had rescued her from the demon that had abducted her not so long ago. Again, she felt a small measure of gratitude that she'd been unconscious and could therefore not recall such a scene, especially when she knew that it would have also included the coroner's van, ready to take not only the body of the demon himself, but that of her friend, to join her boyfriend's at the county morgue.

The sheriff approached Dean and Isabel, and having been temporarily immersed in an unwelcome memory of her attack, she immediately bristled, grabbing at the sleeve of his jacket with a tense fist and instinctively moving closer to him. She remembered that the demon that had attacked her, the _thing_ had wreaked havoc in her mind and on her body, had worn the kind and friendly face of the town's deputy sheriff and for a moment, it became a challenge to differentiate between that memory and the reality of what was now happening in front of her. Dean noticed her rigid stance and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to let her know it would be OK.

"And you saw him too?" The sheriff asked them "The man with the hook?"

Isabel shook her head as she looked away "We all saw him. Except Isabel" Dean said looking briefly at his cousin "We fought him and he ran"

"And that's all?" The sheriff looked suspicious.

"Yeah, that's all"

He took a step closer to them and Isabel's grip on Dean's hand tightened "Listen, you and your brother…"

"Oh, don't worry" Dean said "We're leaving town"

The sheriff nodded and Dean and Isabel walked to the car "Can I ride shotgun this time?" She asked.

"Sure" He opened the passenger door for her.

He tried disentangling his hand from hers but found her grip unrelenting. He watched her for a moment before he looked down at their hands and realized she hadn't even noticed she was still clutching his tightly. She looked down and relaxed her fingers.

"Sorry" She said blankly, as if she herself didn't understand why her hand seemed to have a mind of its own.

"You OK?"

"I'm fine" She said and stepped into the car.

Dean shut the door and walked around to the driver's seat, closing the door as he sat behind the wheel. He looked ahead for a few seconds in quiet contemplation.

"You keep saying that Bel, but…I don't believe you anymore"

The silence was doing nothing to calm his nerves. Nerves that for some reason had not been present the entire time he and Sam had been fighting with the hook man yet here, alone in the car with his troubled cousin, he suddenly felt out of his depth. He hesitated and wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. He didn't want to push her, especially with Sam not around whom he was sure, for some unexplained reason would know just the right thing to say or do in this delicate situation better than he ever would.

But he was tired. Tired of her stubborn avoidance of everything that had happened. How long would she act like it was just some bad childhood memory, like the time when she was four and Aunt Jane lost her in a department store, or the Christmas that Dean had 'accidentally' told her there was no Santa Claus? How long was she going to pretend that there was nothing wrong, that she was perfectly fine and unaffected? How long were he and Sam supposed to go along with it?

"What do you want me to _say_, Dean?" She said finally "You want me to say that being in the hospital freaked me out because it reminded of my time there? That just seeing the sheriff scared the crap out of me because it reminded me of what that bastard did to me? That it took me almost three hours yesterday to gather up the courage to walk into that police station to get you guys out? Well… there… I've said it"

He looked at her for a moment, wondering how he could possibly go about this. It was a sensitive topic and he had never been good at this kind of conversation. It required a lot of compassion, sensitivity and understanding, things he wasn't sure he would be able to provide for her, at least, not the way Sam likely could. But he could listen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

She snorted slightly and shook her head "Honestly? No" She said

"Isabel" He said gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him slowly "You can't bottle it up forever. You'll have to talk about it sometime. If not to me, then maybe you'd feel more comfortable with Sam"

"It's not that" She said "I know I could talk to you about anything, and I will. I just need a little more time to…sort it all out. I don't know if what I remember is what really happened, but with every nightmare I have and with certain things I see…I remember more" Her eyes were watery now and she fought hard to not cry "And I don't know if I want to Dean. What if it's too much? What if I can't handle it?"

"You will" He said reassuringly "And I'll be there when you're ready. We'll both be there for you"

"You promise?" He gave her his Dean smile a soft kiss on her temple, which in turn made her smile.

"I promise" He said pointing a finger at her "And you've got to promise to talk to me"

"OK, I promise" She said then smirked at him "I thought you didn't do chick flick moments and I don't' know if you realize, but that's exactly what_ this_ is"

"You tell Sam and I'll kick your ass" He jokingly warned, giving her a playful punch in the arm to emphasize his idle threat.

"Not today. I'm exhausted, and so are you"

He ran his palm over his face and sighed deeply "Yeah, I'm beat" He said shaking his head "I could sleep for a week straight"

"What the hell is taking him so long?" Isabel asked, turning in her seat to look out the window for Sam. She spotted him talking to Lori, near the ambulance "Oh"

Dean turned his head and watched the coupled through the side view mirror "Go Sammy!" He said softly.

"Maybe we could stay here a while" Isabel suggested, having already noticed there was a definite spark between those two, and given the right chance and little time, it could turn into something.

Both of them quickly turned back to face the front as Sam walked over to the car. He got in and sat in the back seat quietly.

"We could stay" Dean said, turning to face his brother.

Sam looked at him then glanced Isabel's way, she had rested her head against the window, and looked like she was about to fall asleep.

"What? And miss Graceland?" Sam asked watching Isabel for a reaction, but all she did was sigh wistfully. He looked back towards Dean and shook his head in the negative before leaning back on the seat and closing his eyes.

"Oh no" Dean said as he started driving off "One of you has got to start talking to keep me awake"

"Just go back to the motel. We need to sleep" Isabel said, not opening her eyes "I took the front seat Sam. You mind?"

"Course not, Bel" He said "Just don't get used it"

She smiled and Sam saw it on her reflection in the side view mirror.

AN: Thanks for reading. Now, you've come _all _this way, you might as well review! Trust me, it'll make my day. Well, the trio are about to leave Iowa. Hey, you know what's coming up soon? Sam's birthday! Oh yes. Toodles, AT


	8. Breakdown

AN: I'm having a slight obsession with angst at the moment, can you tell? Don't ask me why. Just bear with me a couple more chapters, I promise things will start looking up soon. I'm gonna get these three to sit back and party soon. Please R&R. AT

xxx

Greenfield, Missouri

Isabel didn't have a nightmare for almost ten days, but when she finally did, it was nothing short of epic. It had also scared the hell out of Dean and Sam.

A couple of days after the events in Iowa, after the Hook Man, Sam, Dean and Isabel had sat down for a 'family discussion', as Sam so formally called it, and together they had come to the decision that Isabel was now doing well enough that she could be in charge of her own medication, with Sam only slightly supervising.

This worked great for the firs few days, during which Isabel diligently followed her drug regime. However, on the Wednesday night she had decided, without telling the boys, that she would skip her sleeping medication, because she felt it turned her into a total zombie and all she did was doze off constantly. They had stopped for the night on the way to Graceland, like she had wanted, and the weather was warmer. All three were all in good spirits.

Everything was going really well that night. They'd gone out for dinner; they'd even gone to the bar for a couple of drinks and a bit of pool. Isabel didn't kick up a fuss,when Sam ordered her a soda and told her she would not be drinking anything containing even a molecule of alcohol. They went to their room at around midnight, laughing and talking, and turned in pretty much straight away.

The first thing Sam remembered hearing that night was the sound of the door closing. It hadn't slammed shut, but it hadn't been carefully closed, it had just shut of its own accord, as if someone had just left if open and the light breeze took care of the rest. If he hadn't been a light sleeper, he wouldn't have heard it, and as he turned to see his brother on the other bed, he realized Dean had not heard it at all. He hadn't even stirred. He thought he'd imagined it, except that when he sat up on the bed and looked across over Dean, Isabel's sleeping form was missing. If she had been sharing the bed with him instead of Dean, he knew he would have felt her get up.

Before panicking and waking up Dean, he decided to check out the bathroom. He moved quietly and walked in through the door, switching the light on and looking around. Now panic surfaced quickly as he realized that if she wasn't in the room, she had to have gone outside. He looked at his watch, it was almost 3am. He walked back into the main room and switched on the light.

"Dean!" He shouted.

"Dude, what the hell?" Dean asked, flinching from the glare as he threw an arm over his face.

"Isabel's gone" Sam said rushing to the window and brushing the fabric curtain aside as he looked out into the pitch black night.

Dean sat up and looked at the spot next to him on the bed "Shit!" He said getting up and throwing a shirt on over his sweats.

Sam was already out the door as Dean came running after him. They looked around the barely lit parking lot and their eyes settled on a small group of bikers near the highway at the entrance to the motel. They were looking out, toward the road and pointing. They rushed over in their direction until they too saw what the men were seeing. Isabel's small figure hunched over on her knees, her hands were on the ground and it looked like she was shaking. One of the young bikers had started walking slowly towards her. Sam and Dean rushed past them and approached Isabel at the same time, eyeing the man threateningly.

"Get away from her" Dean said to him as he moved closer to his cousin "Isabel?"

She let out a choked sob before crying out "Don't touch me!" causing Dean to draw back slightly as he looked at her in alarm.

The biker grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him back "You heard the lady, man" He didn't seem at all fazed at Dean's menacing glare as he called out to Isabel "Sweetheart, it's OK. You're OK now"

Dean's irritation was flaring and Sam knew he would explode in anger any second. He approached Isabel from the front, so that she could see him.

"She's our cousin" He said in a placating manner to the biker, who was staring his brother down "It's alright"

"I don't care who you are" The biker shot back eyeing the two men suspiciously "Why is she running away from you, huh? What you do to her?"

Dean made a step towards the biker "Dean!" Sam shot out, stopping his brother before turning to the biker "She's sick, OK?" The man looked at him warily "She just needs her medication. Please, just go"

The man looked at them doubtfully before taking in the scene in front of him a little more closely. It was true, the girl in front of him didn't look like she was physically hurt in any way. He relaxed slightly before backing away, but only a few steps. A couple of his friends had just joined him and they were watching the interchange.

"Isabel" Sam calmly spoke to his cousin as he kneeled a couple of feet in front of her "Can you hear me?"

She didn't look up, but nodded slightly. She was gasping loudly now, as if she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. Her long dark red hair had come loose off its tie and looked oddly black in the moonlight, falling limply to cover her face.

"Air!" She said between labored breaths "I couldn't breathe in there"

"Why did you sneak out like that?" Sam continued, still in a gentle, soothing tone "You should have let us know"

"No. Quiet. I have to be quiet" She shook her head vehemently and started sobbing again "I don't want him to know I'm awake"

Sam looked up at Dean, who was staring at Isabel worriedly, taking it all in with a grief-stricken look on his face. They knew who she was talking about.

It had started to rain slightly and even though it wasn't winter, it was cold, especially in the middle of the night. Isabel was only wearing a thin T-shirt over her pajama shorts, her pale skin had broken out in goose bumps and she was now shivering as the rain fell on her bare skin.

"Isabel, we have to go back inside. It's cold out here" Sam whispered, inching slightly closer to her.

"It's always cold" She said looking up a Sam with watery eyes "He took my clothes" She whispered to him, as if embarrassed to say it aloud, even to him.

The tears that had streaked her cheeks quickly blended with the falling rain, her bottom lip was quivering in fear and with great effort Sam resisted the impulse to reach out to her. He didn't want to scare her any more than she already was

"It's OK, Bel" Sam said, struggling to keep his voice even and calm "How about you stand up and come back with us to the room?"

"No!" She screamed and went back to staring at the ground below her.

"Sam, let's just take her inside and give her one of those shots. She's gonna catch a cold out here" Dean said impatiently "Just grab her!"

"No!" Sam said to Dean "We can talk her through this. She's remembering Dean"

"Yeah, that's right Sam. She's remembering, at three in the morning, half naked in the freezing cold rain by the side of the highway!" Dean yelled edgily, unable and unwilling to witness Isabel's torment any longer.

Sam pursed his lips. Dean was right. This wasn't the right time to delve into her memories and engage in a long intense conversation. Maybe tomorrow, once she'd had a good sleep and calmed down, they could talk about what she saw, what she remembered. He reached out with his hand to her, but she shrank from it as if he'd burnt her. She screamed and broke out in a sprint, away from them and towards the highway.

"Isabel, no!" Sam said running after her, with Dean close behind "Isabel!"

Dean rushed past Sam and reached Isabel before she ran onto the road. Even though it was deserted, there was the occasional vehicle that went past, and because it was so late and so deserted, they sped right through. He threw his arms around her and pulled her to him, lifting her feet off the ground. She screamed and thrashed, but he held on tightly to her as he turned and motioned to Sam to follow him back to their room.

He walked straight past the stunned bikers, only sparing them a glance as he held Isabel to him.

"It's me Bel" Dean whispered in her ear "It's just me. Dean"

She relaxed only slightly at the sound of his voice, before renewing her struggles as she realized she was being dragged inside.

"No Dean!" She screamed "Put me down! No!"

She kicked out as they reached the door and her knee made contact with the door frame in a loud thud, causing her to groan in pain. She started retching as soon as she heard the door shut behind her and Dean quickly rushed her to the bathroom, gently lowering her to kneel in front of the toilet as he pulled her damp hair back.

She emptied the contents of her stomach and continued to dry retch for about half an hour while Dean lightly rubbed a hand up and down her back, before finally breaking down into sobs. Dean flushed the toilet and hoisted her up to the sink, pouring her a glass of water.

"Here, rinse" He said, lifting the glass to her lips. She did as he told her and watched her cousin with dull eyes through the mirror.

Sam came in and handed Dean a towel and one of his own long sleeved shirts, nodding towards Isabel. Dean grabbed the shirt and turned to Isabel again. Her back was still to him, and he reached for the hem of her t-shirt, slowly pulling it up. She flinched and moved away from him slightly, still not turning around.

"Your shirt's wet Isabel, you'll catch a cold" Dean said patiently "You can wear one of Sam's"

She looked down at the shirt he was holding and nodded as she pulled her own shirt off. She lifted her arms and Dean took that as an indication it was OK to put Sam's shirt on her. He slid it over her arms and head. It was huge on her, and came to about mid thigh, the sleeves hanging limp and well past her hands. He turned her slowly around to face him and grabbed the towel before proceeding to dry her hair.

He walked her out of the bathroom and it took all of ten seconds before her eyes fixed on the door and she made another run for it. She tried the door but it wouldn't open, and Sam was glad he'd anticipated this and locked it. Dean reached her easily and grabbed her, spinning around and pinning her with his body, face down onto the bed. He looked up at Sam.

"The shot Sam! " He yelled "Now!"

"No!" Isabel cried out. She tried to free herself from Dean's grip but he was holding her down with all his weight "Get off of me!" She screamed.

Sam came back with the small gun containing the tranquilizer vial. The doctor had given it to him in case of an extreme emergency. He figured this qualified. She whimpered as she saw the needle out of the corner of her eye

"It's OK Bel. You'll just go to sleep" Sam said soothingly.

Dean grabbed one of her wrists and held it above her head, exposing her bare arm. Sam pressed the needle to her arm and pulled the trigger as the drug pushed its way through her skin. She immediately relaxed and her eyes glazed over as she exhaled loudly.

"I'm sorry" she breathed out.

Dean pulled his weight off of her and let her go, sitting on the bed and pulling her onto his lap as he ran a hand comfortingly over her hair and back. She turned her head to him and buried her face in the crook of his neck as she wept softly. Her hand clasped desperately at the material of his shirt as she fought the looming unconsciousness and her body shook for a few moments, before finally relaxing completely. Her sniffling stopped and her breathing became even, her fists unclenching and falling limply on her lap. Dean shifted and her head lolled back against his arm.

"She's out" Dean said lifting one of her eyelids.

He stood up, laying her down on the bed and covering her well up to her neck. He rested his palm on her forehead, before tenderly running it over the crown of her head. He walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at Sam, his expression desolate.

Sam had put the gun back in its pouch and was now quietly watching his brother from across the room, concern written all over his face.

"What the hell was that?"

Dean dropped his head to his hands "I thought she was doing really well" He said sadly.

"She _is_ doing really well" Sam said "She's being trying so hard to not remember. I guess it was only a matter of time before it all came flooding back"

Dean looked at his brother with worry in his eyes "You think she remembers now? Everything?"

Sam shook his head "I don't know, Dean"

"I hope not"

"You _don't_ want her to remember?" Sam asked, looking at his brother strangely.

"Not if it's going to do _this_ to her" Dean said agitated pointing to Isabel's unconscious body.

"She'll be out for a while" Sam said finally "We should get some sleep and talk to her tomorrow"


	9. All In The Family

AN: I want to send out a huge virtual hug to everyone who's reviewed, particularly for the last chapter. The last chapter was rather hard to write and I wasn't sure if it had come out right. I'm glad you liked it, and again, I really appreciated the comments. It helped me finish this chapter more quickly than I'd anticipated. Toodles, AT

XXX

The next morning had been awkward, to say the very least. For a change, Dean woke up before Sam, not having slept well at all. This time he'd felt Isabel stir next to him and ten minutes later she'd gone into the bathroom and quietly shut the door. He listened out carefully for her. The shower ran for about half an hour, the tap came next, the toilet flushed, and then there was silence for another fifteen minutes, only broken by the very soft sounds of sniffles. She was crying.

He pretended to be asleep as she came out, but he watched her as she silently got herself a glass of water and pulled up a plastic chair to the window, sitting on it as she looked out onto the sunlit motel parking lot. She must have sat there for about an hour, just staring blankly out the window before Dean finally got up. He coughed faintly to let her know he was awake. Her head moved the slightest towards the sound before she returned to her apparently riveting window-watching.

"I'm sorry" She said softly, staring straight ahead.

He frowned and pulled up a chair, sitting next to her "About what?"

"I didn't take my sleeping pill last night" She said guiltily, still avoiding his gaze.

He sighed loudly. Under very different circumstances, this would be the precise moment when he would normally go off at her in one of his usual tirades. Not today.

"Why not?" He asked instead.

"It made me sleepy" She said.

Oh, but how she tested him "Isabel, it's a sleeping pill" He said plainly.

A faint smile broke on her face "I meant, all the time. It made me sleepy all the time, all day"

"It doesn't matter. I want to talk about _what_ actually happened, not why" He said. She hadn't turned to him yet and he sensed her reluctance "Isabel, talk to me. You promised."

After a few seconds of stoic silence she finally turned to him slowly, her expression resilient. She was cried out and all she was left with now were the facts. Facts which she was now in a better frame of mind to face. The sun was shining brightly through the window and redness from all her crying made her eyes look unusually blue, as if they were sympathizing with her somber mood.

"I think deep down, I always knew what happened" She started, her voice steady "I mean, the doctors told me, I saw the scars, and I hadn't really blocked out all of it. I remember a lot of it, actually. I remember the mine, I remember the girls, the chains, the cold…" She took a deep breath and looked away from Dean again "It just didn't feel real and, as long as it didn't feel real, I could pretend it wasn't. At least for now"

"Go on" He said grabbing her hand. It was cold and small against his large warm one.

"I think all the pills do is just sweep things under the rug, you know? They numb me. I didn't think I'd be able to move on until I dealt with it head on, instead of just dragging it out or…delaying the inevitable. It's not my style to stave, anyway. Does that make sense? I just didn't think it would be so…" She turned to him again, as if begging him to understand so she wouldn't have to continue with her convoluted explanation "Last night was scary"

"You scared the crap out of me, Bel" He said honestly.

"I scared the crap out of _me_!" She looked out the window, spotting the biker from the previous night. He was waking back from the diner to his bike, glancing a couple of times towards the window. She wondered if he could see her or feel her watching him "I remember him"

Dean snorted as he followed her gaze "Tried coming to your rescue" He tried to be more bitter, but recognized that had he been in the biker's position he would have acted the same.

She chuckled "From you?" She squinted as she watched him, her eyes now sparkling with interest as she took in his rugged features and muscular build "He's cute, don't you think?"

He frowned in confusion "Not really, but then again, he's not my type"

"Can I go talk to him?" She asked, completely out of the blue.

Dean stared at her stunned "Uh, I don't…I don't know if that's a good idea, Bel"

"Can I tell you something really important?" She turned to him with a sad smile "When I was nine, my mom sat down with me and told me I would never have a brother or sister. That day I decided that when I grew up and got married, I would have lots of kids. I'm talking lots. Like, five, maybe six. A huge house full of noise and chaos" She leaned forward towards him and whispered, as if her point would be better made if told as a secret "That's not going to happen if I'm afraid of men. I don't want to be afraid. I know it's irrational, and I don't want it to get in the way of what I want in life" She nodded towards the biker casually "I just want to go out and talk to him. Explain what happened. Please?"

He hesitated, but putting his own feelings of protectiveness and doubts aside, he decided she made a valid point. He was willing to do whatever it took for her to get better. Whatever she thought she needed. If she thought she needed to go and chat up some Harley- riding leather-clad John Doe, then he was just going to suck it up and take it like a man.

"I'll be watching you from here. Don't go anywhere with him" He said seriously.

Her smile brightened "I won't"

"Take your jacket, it's cold"

She stood and grabbed her jacket, zipping it up merrily as she bent down and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you Dean"

She walked out of the room and he watched her closely as she moved towards the biker, her steps confident and sprightly as she approached the man. She kept her distance as the man recognized her and got off his bike. She held out her hand and the man shook it, glancing towards their room again before turning to her and smiling. She put her hands back in her pockets and shifted from foot to foot as she talked to him.

"What time is it?" Dean turned to find Sam out of bed and getting dressed before turning back to face the window.

"Almost nine" He mumbled, still watching his cousin and the biker as they now seemed to be conversing casually.

Sam looked around for Isabel "Where is she?"

Dean motioned towards the window in front of him "Out there"

Sam rushed to the window "What is she doing?" He asked alarmed and rushed to the door "You _let_ her go out?"

"Hey, hey, hey" Dean said swiftly standing up and grabbing his brother by the arm as he dragged him back to the window "Relax, she's just talking to him. Don't worry, I'm watching them"

"Wait a minute" Sam frowned as he recognized the man and turned to Dean questioningly "Isn't that the biker from last night? Why is she talking to that guy?"

"Because she asked me if she could, and I said yes" Dean explained taking his seat by the window.

Sam glared at his brother "I don't like it"

"Well, guess what Sam? I don't like it either" Dean said "But they're just talking. She needs this"

"She needs this? After what happened last night, she needs to go talk to some random guy" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the biker "who looks like he probably has a criminal record?"

"Yes Sam" Dean said tiredly "She does"

"She talked to you about it, didn't she?" Sam asked curiously as he took Isabel's empty seat next to Dean "She remembers what happened?"

Dean nodded sadly "Yeah"

They watched in silence as Isabel finally made a move to go and shook the biker's hand. The guy jumped in his bike with a grin and put his helmet over his long brown hair. She waved at him and started back towards the room, a small satisfied smile on her face. She walked into the room to find both her cousins watching her intently, making her slightly uneasy. She turned to Sam, who looked like he was about to have a stroke. She closed the door slowly and braced herself.

"Isabel, what the hell were you doing?" He asked her quietly, but his tone noticeably laced with anger.

"Skiing across the Swiss Alps Sam! Geez, I was just talking to…Robert" She nodded back towards the way she came in.

"Robert?" Sam asked, trying to hang on to his quickly fading calm "After what happened last night?"

"Yeah, I wanted to explain to him what happened" She said defensively.

Isabel could understand his disapproval and she had actually been expecting it since the minute she'd woken up. But she'd been expecting it from Dean, not from Sam, her gentler, more compassionate cousin. She was unprepared for an outburst from him, and she was also not in the mood.

"To _him_?" He asked in disbelief "Explain to _me_ what happened!"

"I didn't take my sleeping pill" She said reluctantly.

"You forgot your sleeping pill?" Sam raised his eyebrows and scoffed, as if he wasn't sure if she was joking with him.

"No" She said slowly, having hoped that Dean had told him but clearly, he hadn't "I just…didn't take it"

"Why the hell not Isabel?" He yelled at her "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I swear to God Sam, it was never my intention for you to find out" She said, and immediately knew that it had come out wrong.

Sam glared at her "This is _not _the kind of thing you can keep from us" He said severely.

"Sam, will you relax for a minute?" Dean interrupted.

"No Dean, you are not responsible for her" Sam said to his brother, who was in no way helping him make a big deal out of this, like he normally would "So you be quiet!"

"Why are_ you_ so angry?" She asked, not understanding why he was so upset when Dean wasn't.

"Because you don't know what you put us through last night"

"You think I was at a freaking tea party in Wonderland last night?" She asked "You don't think I remember Sam? I do, OK? This isn't easy for me either"

Sam took a deep breath and a moment of silence a he ran a palm over his face "OK. I'm sorry…let's start again. How are you feeling today, Isabel?"

"I'm better" She eyed him warily and unzipped her jacket "Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I can. The worst is over"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Will you please stop asking me that? Both of you" She asked in exasperation "Why do I need to talk about it with you? I've talked about it enough! I appreciate the support and you've both been a great help, don't get me wrong, but I'm the one who went through it, and I'm the only one who can deal with it"

"It will still help to talk it through though" Sam insisted.

"Like_ you_ can talk" She spat back snidely "Don't you think you're being a slight bit hypocritical Sam? You wanna talk? Fine! Tell you what; I'll talk to you about it after we all have a nice long chat about Jessica. What do you say?"

And here it was, Sam thought. She could really be predictable sometimes, and so unbelievably cruel when she wanted to be. This was the moment when Isabel used someone's weak spot to her advantage, and viciously pounced on it to turn the argument around. She was ruthlessly good at it and she always knew just what to say to cause the greatest possible sting. If her comment hadn't hurt so much, he would have laughed at her.

Dean would always fall straight into it, their tempers so alike and explosive that the outcome was as predictable as a volatile chemical reaction. But Sam was more controlled than that. He knew her well by now and he was not going to let her get the better of him. Not like this. He kept his expression impassive and looked at her calmly.

"You're lashing out" He said evenly, almost teasing "I hope you weren't counting on me to lose my temper over that, were you?"

She was taken aback for a moment, but only a moment, before a faint smile crossed her face and she looked down at the ground, conceding defeat. She should have known better. This particular ploy had never worked on Sam. Oh, well, she tried.

"I'm sorry Sam" She said earnestly, looking up at him "It was a pretty horrible thing to say and I didn't mean it"

"I know you didn't really mean it Bel" Sam said "But it still hurt"

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked with a supporting hand on his arm.

"Not really" He said shaking his head.

"And why not?" She asked.

"I just don't" And that's where he stopped as the penny finally dropped.

He looked down at her, a slight smug smirk on her face. Damn she was good! He had fallen for that so easily, helping her admirably make her point. Hell, _he_ had just made her point for her. Even Dean was shaking his head sadly at him. He let out a resigned breath and looked at her jadedly.

"Everyone has skeletons in their closet Sam. Everyone" She explained "It's not about hiding them or pretending they're not there, it's about acknowledging their existence, because whether you like it or not, they're a part of who you are"

"So this is just another skeleton in your closet, Bel?"

"We all deal with things our own way" She said "I've got my way. It's worked for me in the past. Look at everything I've been through, and yet here I am, ready to move on! I know what works for me, and I know what doesn't. I'm not keeping things from you, but some things have to belong only to me. Will you please trust me?"

He watched her for a minute as he tried to gauge her sincerity. He nodded. She made sense, in a long-winded complicated way.

"Are you doing better Isabel?" He asked one last time "Be honest, are you?"

"I am. I'm doing so much better, and I know that a big part of that is because of you and Dean. I hope you realize how much you've helped me by just being here" She said with a smile "Now, can we go get some breakfast, I'm really hungry!"

"That's because you tossed your cookies last night" Dean said frankly standing up and grabbing his wallet "I've never seen so much come out of someone so little"

"I think it goes without saying that I should be in charge of your medication again" Sam said as they stepped out of the room.

"Then why say it? " Isabel asked tartly but gave Sam a small apologetic smile to let him know she was just teasing.

It was decided over breakfast that they would leave town after immediately, and Isabel knew, as she was left out of that particular decision making conversation, that it had to do with the biker and her public scene-making crazy parade she'd put on the night before.

"We should head southeast" Sam said unfolding the road map "Towards Tennessee"

Isabel smiled in excitement. She didn't know why she wanted to go to Graceland. She wasn't an Elvis fan and never had been. She had thought when she'd woken up that morning, that her cousins would take her back to Illinois after the events of last night, finally having had had it with her. But they hadn't even brought it up and she didn't want to in case they took it as sign she wanted to. She wasn't ready. After remembering what had happened to her in Belleville in a flood of vivid images, she didn't think that going home would help. She needed time away. She needed her family. Or what was left of it, anyway.

"Are you gonna eat the rest of that?" Dean asked her, already reaching for her plate of unfinished blueberry pancakes.

"Go for it" She said absently.

"Here you go" Sam said placing pills she didn't even realized he'd been holding in front of the now empty space on the table before her.

He was watching her closely and she fought the urge to argue as his expression left no room for argument anyway. She swallowed them obediently and opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue to prove to him that she had in fact ingested them. They returned to the room after breakfast and packed their things, loading up the trunk of the Impala as Dean threw Sam the keys.

"You drive" He said, opening the back door. Isabel moved forward to step in, thinking he was opening the door for her but he stepped in instead "You go in the front. I wanna sleep"

She didn't argue. It was the first time Dean had ridden in the back, and voluntarily. She figured he must have been really tired and a renewed feeling of guilt rushed over her, knowing she was the reason why.

Ten minutes after driving off, Dean started snoring. She looked over the seat and laughed. He was actually lying across the seat. That couldn't possibly be comfortable, could it? She settled back and looked at Sam for a second.

Sam felt his cousin watching him "What?"

She smiled wickedly "It's your birthday tomorrow"

"Yeah" He said, not in the least excited about it "And?"

"You realize we have to go out and celebrate" She said as if it were a universally approved fact, like the earth's rotation around the sun, or the changing of the seasons.

"Do we now?" Still disinterested.

"Yes, we must" She said "You're never turning 23 again. Ever"

"Yeah, that's usually how time works"

"I'm serious Sam" She said "Birthdays are a big deal… and also and excellent excuse to party, which you need to do more of"

"I'm not much of a party animal" Sam confessed.

"I've noticed" She said bitterly "But I am, and so is Dean so I don't care what you say, we're going out"

"Are you going to consider my opinion?" He asked.

"Of course Sammy, I'm sorry" She said "And your cry-baby whiny opinion would be…?"

"Right now, it's that you're becoming increasingly bitchy"

"I've missed eight of your birthdays Sam" She said sadly "I don't want to miss anymore"

He looked at her and smiled "Do we have to go out though?"

"We're only going to be young once Sam. We need to let our hair down and take a break from all this drama. I feel like I'm living in a soap opera. I need to go out" she finished quietly.

He turned to her again, picking up on her mood change "You sure you're OK, Bel? Do you want to go home?"

She turned sharply to him "No" She shook her head "That's the last thing I want to do. Why? Do you want to take me back?"

"No, of course not! I just thought that…" He started "maybe being somewhere familiar"

"That's exactly it, Sam" She said "It's familiar and therefore a constant reminder"

"You can't be on the road forever. You're going to have to go back sometime"

"Maybe, but not yet" She looked out the window "It's too soon. You know, my life has fallen apart before. I know how to put it back together and I'm going to do it again. It'll be easier this time, I have you and Dean"

Sam smiled gently, though she could not see it and turned his eyes back to the road "Yeah"

"I'm not going to let what happened stop me from getting what I want out of life" She said determined "I _will_ move on"

She looked at her cousin intently, knowing he was intelligent enough to realize she was indirectly talking about him too. She knew he was still hung up on Jessica, and had not moved on completely from her death. And she would bet that he didn't even want to move on. He returned her look and she was satisfied that he'd gotten the message. Whether he agreed with her or not, was another matter.


	10. Happy Birthday Sam!

AN: There is so much fluff in this one that I almost made _myself _sick. I thought Isabel was a little bitchy to Sam in last chapter so I warned her that, if she doesn't want me to kill her off, she should redeem herself in this one.

Please R&R. Thanks again guys. AT

XXXXX

Harrison, Arkansas

They arrived in Harrison, Arkansas on the Friday night and immediately checked into a motel. It was different to other places they'd stayed in so far. For one, Harrison was a pretty large town, in fact, it was a city. They could feel it, a different atmosphere to a country town.

Isabel chose the motel this time, a nice middle of the range establishment in the centre of the town. It was a little over budget for what Dean and Sam were used to, but as she had decided to pay for it, they went along with it. They got a triple room, and all three were excited at the prospect of getting their own bed, especially Isabel who by default always ended up sharing with one of her cousins. They turned in early, tired from having driven all day. But it had been worth it as they'd made very good headway.

On Saturday morning Sam was surprised to wake up to an empty motel room. He looked around but there was no sign of Isabel or Dean. He stood up and walked over to the window, checking to see if the Impala was still parked out there. It wasn't. He figured they must have gone somewhere together, and it most likely had to do with his birthday. He shook his head in disbelief; they must have been really quiet for him not to hear them.

He was twenty three today and he'd never felt so old in his life. He shook his head sadly. Anyone would consider him to be in the prime of his life, people would kill to be young and healthy like he was. He knew he should feel lucky, but for some reason he always felt like something was missing, and this year, more than any other year before, he knew exactly what it was.

He leisurely walked over to his bag and picked out clean clothes from the hamper, the scent of lavender reached his nostrils and he inhaled with pleasure. They had been dead tired the night before yet Isabel, typically disregarding Dean's protests and Sam's unwillingness, had insisted they do their laundry in the motel's laundry room straight away. In spite of his lack of enthusiasm at the time, Sam was now glad they'd listened to her, as he now had clean clothes to change into.

He showered slowly and washed his hair wondering, as strands of shampoo-lathered hair rubbed against his eyes, if he should take Isabel's not-so-tactful advice and get a damn haircut already! Having been left alone, he'd left the bathroom door open and he could now hear, through sound of the water spray, the front door unlocking and Dean and Isabel's muffled voices.

"Hurry up birthday boy!" He heard Dean shout out to him before walking into the bathroom "Don't make me come in there and get you out"

Sam poked his head out of the shower curtain.

"A little privacy please, Dean" He said in annoyance then glared angrier as Isabel walked in "Isabel! I'm showering. Naked!"

Isabel looked at him undeterred "You don't have anything I haven't seen before Sam"

"Get out of here! Both of you!" He yelled in a fluster before disappearing behind the shower curtain.

Isabel and Dean turned to each other shrugging and laughing as they walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

"He's so uptight" He heard Isabel complain to Dean.

Sam finally came out of the bathroom and almost collided with his brother and cousin, who were standing just outside the door, seemingly eagerly waiting for him. Dean was holding a small chocolate cake with a single blue candle, and Isabel was holding a couple of gift wrapped boxes. They were wearing party hats and instead of looking annoyed or disinterested, like he had intended, Sam laughed at how absurd they looked. Isabel launched herself into the obligatory Happy Birthday song, frowning at Dean halfway through it for not joining in. Dean looked at her and simply shook his head in the negative, so she finished the song on her own.

"Well, make a wish and blow your candle" She said cheerfully.

He smiled, wondering just what she would be like if it was _her_ birthday, and did just that, looking from his brother to his cousin as the flame expired.

"I'll get a knife and some plates" Dean said, setting the cake down on the small wooden table and walking over to the kitchen.

"Happy birthday Sammy" Isabel said to him brightly and set the presents down on the nearest bed to give her cousin a hug. He leaned down so she could put her arms over his shoulders and kiss his cheek, wrapping his own hands around her waist and lifting her right off the floor. She yelped in surprise and laughed, mussing his wet hair with one of her hands "Wanna open your presents?"

"Do I?" He said, setting her back on the ground.

Dean had cut up three pieces of the birthday cake. Isabel and Sam sat on the edge of the bed and she handed him the two beautifully wrapped boxes. He started opening the larger one.

"That one's from Dean" Isabel said.

Sam raised his eyebrows at his brother. Yes, it may be from Dean, but it had obviously been carefully wrapped by Isabel. He opened the box to reveal a bright, shiny rifle. He lifted it off the box and examined it closely in wonder.

"It's just like mine" Dean said, grabbing a small cardboard packet from the box and throwing it at his brother "Salt, silver and iron bullets"

Sam admired the weapon. It was by no means a normal birthday gift, like aftershave or boxer shorts, but then again, he and his brother were anything but normal. This was exactly the kind of thing that he would expect from Dean, because it would be the kind of present Dean would absolutely love himself. His brother would have put thought into it.

He nodded in appreciation at his brother "Thanks Dean"

"Happy birthday, bro" Dean said patting him on the shoulder.

"Open mine now!" Isabel shrieked, unable to contain her excitement as she thrust her own gift to Sam.

Sam chuckled at her and grabbed the small box, opening it slowly. He pulled out a book. He flipped through it to find blank ivory colored pages. It was a journal, much like his father's, except it was newer and more elegant, brown leather-bound with gold embossed SW, his initials, on the front cover.

"It's a journal" Sam said looking up at Isabel.

"It's like your dad's" She said, touching the leather spine "There's so much stuff that your dad's researched and written on his. I figured you should have one of your own, you know? Write down all the stuff you guys are investigating now. A new edition"

"I love it, thanks Bel" He said.

"Look inside" She said sitting down next to him "in the front"

He looked at her intrigued and opened the journal. The inside of the cover had a leather pocket and something was sticking out. He reached into it and pulled out a photo. He gasped, rendered speechless, and looked at the picture in pure wonder.

It had been evidently taken in a hospital room and it was old, but he would recognize his father's face anywhere. He looked at the woman in the photo, sitting up on the hospital bed, holding a small bundle in her arms. Her face was tired and pale, but it was obvious she was happy and her smile was positively radiant. Her hair was long and blonde and she looked absolutely beautiful. His heart leapt in his chest. Mary Winchester.

"Mom" He whispered out.

"Yeah" Isabel said "It's from the day you were born. Took me ages to find it, but I knew I had it somewhere"

Standing on Mary's right was Jane, her identical twin sister. She too was holding a small form in her arms and Sam's eyes shot towards Dean.

"That's you" He turned the photograph so Dean could see clearly and pointed to the small golden-haired boy in their auntie's arms.

Dean looked at the photo, at the little boy who was looking up at his auntie with his bright blue eyes as he held a lock of her long blonde hair in his hand. He was attempting to eat it and Jane was looking at him and smiling lovingly as she let him.

"I would have been almost four" He said, nodding with a sad smile

"And that's you?" Sam said looking at Isabel and pointing to the third child in the photo, sitting on John Winchester's lap.

His father was sitting on Mary's left and he held Isabel easily in one of his arms, while his other hand was wrapped around his wife's. Isabel's hair was lighter, the color of cherries, and much shorter, although still falling in soft curls around her face. She was looking at John in pure fascination as her hand reached to touch her uncle's nose. Sam looked at his father's face in awe and amazement, not because he looked younger but because he looked truly happy. He'd never seen his father smile like that. He was grinning as he looked to the camera.

"My dad took that picture" Isabel said, her eyes were brimming with tears and she smiled poignantly as she looked up at Sam "Look at your parents, Sam. Look at how happy they are to finally have you"

Sam's own eyes were filled with tears and he sniffed to hold them back. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before they could fall, and swallowed past the lump in his throat. He nodded and smiled at his cousin.

"I don't know what to say" He choked out. They'd been on the road for over a week, which meant she'd been carrying this photo and planning this for at least all that time.

"That's your family. Every single person in that photo loves you Sam, even if some of them aren't around anymore" She said lightly touching the photograph tenderly "Don't _ever_ forget that"

He put down the book and photo and grabbed her face with both his hands, bending his head to place a loud kiss on her forehead and holding her face inches from his as he looking into her shiny eyes.

"Thank you Isabel"

"Happy birthday Sam" She said smiling.

Standing in front of them, Dean cleared his throat "We gonna have cake or not?"

"Yes, lets" Isabel said "I'll get it"

She walked to the table and grabbed a piece for Sam. Then went back to grab herself and Dean a piece. Dean was sitting next to Sam on the bed now, still looking at the picture as she approached him. She held the plate out for him and he grabbed it, without even looking away from the photo.

"You were gorgeous" She said and he looked up at her with a smirk.

"Still am" He said smugly, but she could see the melancholy on his face. He was trying to hide it.

She laughed softly "Yeah, you are, and clearly you are very aware of it" She sat next to him on the edge of the bed.

"What can I say? " He said shrugging "Good genes"

"I agree" She said with a smug smile of her own "That's why we're all so attractive. We may share as much as half our genes, you realize"

"I'd never thought of it like that" Dean said honestly, never actually having given much thought to the genetics of their connection.

"Our moms were identical twins. Genetically speaking, I might as well be your sister" She said placing a hand on his leg, just above his knee.

Dean nodded as he watched her closely "You are" He said covering her hand with his own "So, we going out tonight or what?"

"For sure" Isabel said digging into her cake happily, nothing like chocolate cake for breakfast "Dean and I saw a pretty cool bar around the corner. How about it Sam?"

Sam looked at his cousin and brother "You're asking me like you're giving me a choice"

"Not really" Dean said casually "You're outvoted"

"It's my birthday, my vote should count for two" Sam protested.

"Fine, it's a draw then" Dean said through a mouthful of chocolate cake "I'm the oldest so I decide, we're going out"

"How is that fair?"

"Sam, you're twenty three, not eighty" Isabel said authoritatively "Now shut up, eat your cake and suck it up princess, because we are going to have fun tonight whether you like it or not"


	11. It's All Fun And Games

AN: After writing this chapter, all I can think about is going out partying this weekend! It's made it really hard for me to focus on work and, infinitely more important, this story, but I'll try my best to get the next chapter finished soon. Promise. AT

XXXXX

They went for a proper dinner that night. Isabel had begged for a dining experience that did not involve the words 'all you can eat' or 'supersize'. Sam suggested Chinese, and everyone was pleased with the choice. Afterwards Sam grudgingly agreed to go to the bar around the corner form the motel for a few celebratory drinks. The bar was noisy, crowded and smelled of cigarette smoke and stale beer. Isabel and Dean immediately liked it. Sam nodded in approval, they would easily blend in.

The layout was pretty standard; there was a large area to the right of the entrance which accommodated a few leatherette booths on the edge of the wall but mostly consisted of small round wooden tables and chairs. To the left was a small stage and dance floor. There was a band playing an appealing blend of country/rock music and the crowd cheered them on enthusiastically. Conveniently in front of the entrance, and in between the entertainment and sitting area, was the large and apparently well-stocked bar.

They walked in and Sam and Isabel instantly noticed Dean was scouting the place for chicks, none too subtly either. They headed off to the right and sat at one of the few empty tables near the back, away from the band and small dance floor. A waitress came around and Dean ordered a pitcher of beer and a coke, shamelessly checking her out as she walked away. He turned back to find Isabel looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Doesn't your penis have an off switch?" She asked.

"Give me a break! I'm a 26 year old guy and she was pretty!" His expression one of exasperation "Besides, you didn't hear _me_ say anything when you were hankering for that Lorenzo Lamas look-alike yesterday"

"For your information, his name was Robert" She scoffed haughtily "and I was _not_ looking at him like he was a Krispy Kreme at a Weight Watchers meeting"

Dean turned to look at the waitress again "She does look good enough to eat" he said

She chuckled and shook her head as the waitress came back to their table with their drinks. She eyed Isabel carefully, obviously trying to figure out which of the two young men she was with. Isabel noticed and she shifted slightly towards Sam, smiling at him as she asked him if he was having a good time.

The waitress got the subtle message and the smile returned to her pretty face as she looked towards Dean, satisfied that he was there unattached.

"My name's Katie" She said perkily as she flicked her shoulder-length honey-colored curls with her free hand "Let me know if there's anything else I can get you"

"Will do Katie" Dean replied seductively, giving her his patented 'I'm God's gift to women' smile.

Katie smiled again before she turned and headed off towards the bar, swaying her hips exaggeratedly. Isabel smiled, knowing she was doing it because she knew damn well Dean would be watching as she walked away. Isabel herself, had used that particular tactic on men countless times in the past. She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed with the whole male sex for being so easily distracted and weak in situations like these, or her own, for being so acquiescent and manipulative.

"Thanks" Dean said to Isabel as he turned back to face her and Sam.

"Anything to get you laid" Isabel said sweetly "What about you Sammy? See anything you like?" She raised her arm, gesturing around the bar as if they were in a showroom in a quiz show and she wanted to help him pick out a top-of-the-line refrigerator, or perhaps the set of professional golf clubs?

"I came here to celebrate my birthday with you guys, not to pick up some random chick" Sam said, irritation scratching the surface.

"Wanna dance with me?" Isabel asked, noticing he wasn't comfortable with the conversation.

"I don't dance" He said plainly.

"Oh come on. It's a slow song" She begged, grabbing his arm and resting her head on his shoulder as she looked up at him with her best puppy dog face "Please? All you have to do is sway from one foot to the other. Please?"

"Want me to dance with you?" Dean offered halfheartedly, noticing his brother was not yielding.

"No" She said to Dean "You're going to go and put the moves on Katie"

She stood and grabbed Sam's arm. Sam let out a loud sigh and stood with her, allowing Isabel to drag him onto the small but crowded dance floor. It was true, he realized when they got there, all he had to do, and all he could do in that confined space was move from side to side as he looked down at Isabel. She was watching him closely.

"You're going to have to move on Sam" She said finally.

He closed his eyes and averted her gaze once he opened them again "I can't just do that Isabel. I'm not like you; I can't just…bounce back so quickly. It's not that easy for me"

"You think it's easy?" She asked frowning "Let me tell you, it's not. It's scary Sam…It's scary as hell, but you have to get on with your life because it's not going to wait for you. I know you loved Jessica, but she's not coming back...and you can't spend the rest of your life alone. I'm sure she wouldn't want that for you. Don't you want to meet someone?"

"I can't do it yet" He said looking at her pleadingly, knowing all her words were true and she meant them in the best possible way. It wasn't the first time that he'd had to address this particular issue, although Isabel seemed to be the only one who would not beat around it "It's too soon. Besides, I wouldn't want to bring anyone into this. Not until we find dad and finish…this" He said.

"I'm not saying you have to bring her along Sam"

"I don't do one-night stands, Isabel" He said, shaking his head and looking down at her. Even in her high heels she was a good foot shorter than him "I can't"

She smiled and tilted her head to the side as she studied him.

"Me neither" She said in contemplation "It takes all the excitement out of the build up. There's no anticipation, no romance, no real connection, you know?"

"Never pictured you for a romantic, Bel" He said joking.

"Oh I am" She admitted frankly "And so are you"

"Me?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, don't even try to deny it!" She said laughing.

He smiled and nodded, looking at her in interest "You know, in some ways, you and I are more alike than we realize"

"Well, I'm not as uptight as you, but I'm not as horny as Dean" She said frowning.

"That's sweet. I guess you're a healthy in-between then?" He asked mockingly.

"No, seriously Sam. I may not be a hopeless romantic, but I know you've got to savor all that stuff. The first date, the first kiss, the first touch"

He looked at her with a smirk on his face "So there's a sequence now, is there?"

She laughed "Damn right there is! Anyone can do _that_" She said glancing towards the bar where Dean, who apparently hadn't needed that much convincing from Isabel, was now chatting up the pretty waitress "But that's not how you get the keepers"

"He's unbelievable" Sam said shaking his head as he looked towards his brother. He had Katie eating out of his palm.

"Yeah" Isabel agreed "He's a bit of a man-whore alright" Sam laughed loudly and a couple of the people around them turned to look their way "He'll grow out of it though, you'll see"

"Yeah, but when? There's only so many women in America"

"Eventually he's going to meet a girl that's gonna knock him flat on his ass. He's not gonna know what hit him" Isabel said with a wicked smile of anticipation "I'd give _anything_ to see that"

The song finished and the band started playing a much faster song. Sam looked at Isabel unsurely and she took it as a cue that their dancing was over.

"Wanna go back?" she asked, knowing that answer would be a big fat yes.

"Oh God, yes" He said already turning and walking off.

She walked behind him, circumnavigating her way through the throng of people, before realizing Sam was no longer in front of her. She felt a man grab her arm and step in front of her and she looked up curiously.

"Hey pretty lady" The man said.

He was large, sweaty and, as she caught a whiff of his breath, beyond hammered. She tried to walk past him but he held on to her arm.

"Yes?" She asked impatiently, looking around for Sam who had disappeared ahead of her.

"Name's Dave. I've got my truck outside" He said, practically licking his lips as he leered down her body and tilted his white Stetson in what he surely must have thought was a polite and charming gesture "You wanna ride?" He asked her suggestively.

She shivered in repulsion as she felt his hand let go of her arm to rest at her hip. She knew exactly what kind of ride he had in mind. She was now not only disgusted but pissed.

"Sorry cowboy, but in my corral, eight seconds ain't no ride" She responded dryly.

His smile disappeared as he looked down at her darkly and she suddenly regretted her poor choice of words.

"What did you just say darling?" He asked threateningly.

"There you are!" She turned to find Sam now standing next to her "I thought I lost you" He said grabbing her hand and pulling her away with a nod to the man who'd been accosting her.

She chanced a glance back towards him as Sam pulled her away. The wannabe cowboy was still glaring angrily at her.

She turned to Sam again "Thanks"

"What the hell was that?" He asked angrily as they made it out of the dance floor and he turned to face her "Couldn't you just have said no thanks and walked away?"

"He was being disgusting!" She said offended.

"Maybe, but you can't pick a fight with a 300 pound drunk redneck Isabel! You're not going to win"

"It's_ my_ fault?"

"Of course not, but please pick your battles a little more carefully!" He said "My God, it's like you're fly paper for freaks!"

She walked away in a huff, offended that he appeared to not be taking her side. They sat back down at the table in silence and she watched him as he sculled the rest of his beer and poured himself another glass from the pitcher.

"Maybe you should pace yourself" She suggested.

"In case it's slipped your mind, it's _my_ birthday"

"Fine, inhale your beer, chug on" She said rolling her eyes "Go ahead, get wasted!"

Dean came back a few minutes later with a fresh pitcher of beer and looked at the quiet pair questioningly.

"What's up?" He asked setting the pitcher down on the table and sitting down.

"Nothing" Sam said.

"Saw you talking to Katie" Isabel said with a raised eyebrow "So?"

"She's getting off in a couple of hours" Dean said with a smile raising his beer glass to his lips.

"And when does she finish work?" Isabel asked with a smirk.

Dean choked on his beer as he laughed and even Sam couldn't help but chuckle.

"That was good" Dean said with an acknowledging nod in her direction "Crude, but good"

"_I_ thought so" Isabel said before nudging Sam with her elbow "Hey, Sam, ten o clock"

He raised his wrist and stared at his watch in confusion "What?"

"Oh my God, are you socially retarded?" She asked jokingly as she shook her head "I meant, check out that red head at the bar in the purple halter neck top"

Sam looked up at the girl then back at Isabel "What about her?"

"She is totally checking you out" Isabel said "You should go over and talk to her"

Sam rolled his eyes "Isabel" he started tiredly.

"No, I'm serious Sam" Isabel insisted "It's just talking"

"Do you need a pick up line, bro?" Dean asked amused.

Isabel shot Dean a warning look "He does not need a pick up line. He just needs to be himself, she's already interested"

"I'm not just going to walk over and start a conversation" Sam said before looking at his cousin unsurely "I mean, what do I say?"

"Just walk up to her, introduce yourself and let her take it from there" Isabel said encouragingly "Maybe buy her a drink or ask her to dance. Hey, I know! Pretend it's your birthday and you're having fun"

"I _am_ having fun Isabel" Sam said defensively "Sitting here, with you guys!"

"That's really sweet Sam and I'm having fun too" Isabel said "but if anyone asks me to dance, I'm _so_ ditching you"

Sam looked at her slightly wounded whilst Dean raised an unbelieving eyebrow at her "Anyone?" he asked skeptically.

"Fine, anyone cute" Isabel admitted.

"And you say _I'm_ shallow" Dean said.

With perfect timing Isabel felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to the owner hesitantly, half expecting Dave the horny cowboy armed with either a comeback to her insult or yet another vomit-inducing pick up line. What she didn't expect was a gorgeous young blond with the bluest eyes and the cutest smile she'd ever seen.

"Excuse me" He said bending down slightly as he spoke to her "My friends over there made a bet that I couldn't get the prettiest girl here to dance with me" He looked at her for a few seconds "Wanna split a hundred bucks?"

After a moment of stunned silence, in which she clearly heard Dean snort, she couldn't help but giggle like a teenage schoolgirl.

"See ya" She said to her cousins as she stood and quickly walked off to the dance floor, cute boy in tow.

Dean and Sam were left staring agape after her.

"That _was_ a good line" Sam said nodding in approval at the pretty boy's approach.

"Yeah" Dean said turning back to his brother "You should use it on the red head"

That was it! Sam downed the rest of his beer, and loudly set the empty glass back on the table. He stood up and looked at Dean.

"Keep an eye on her" He said nodding towards the dance floor where Isabel was dancing with her new 'friend', before walking off towards the bar.

Two hours later found Isabel heading back to the table with 50 bucks in her pocket. She momentarily regretted wearing her black stiletto high heels as the soles of her feet complained at the effort to walk, then quickly dismissed it, with her black hipster slacks and pink silk top, they looked pretty spectacular. They were worth a little pain.

She sat at the table, Sam the only occupant. He had empty pitcher of beer and was making quick work of a second. Well, she assumed it was a second; it could have been a third, fourth, even fifth for all she knew.

"How did it go with red?" She asked.

"I choked" He admitted pouring himself another glass "Where's the pretty boy?" He asked derisively.

"Josh" She corrected him "Probably trying his luck with someone drunker, sluttier and not under surveillance by two male cousins"

"Hey, I'm not stopping you" He said weakly.

"Yeah, right!" She said in disbelief. Hell would freeze over before Sam or Dean let her leave that bar with a strange man "I don't want to anyway. He's really cute, but I don't think he can add two and two"

"You want someone good looking _and_ smart?" Sam asked smirking. His speech had now started to slur "Someone's a little picky"

"Are you drunk?" She asked, wondering how many of those beers he'd had in the time she'd been dancing.

"Getting there" He said.

"Where's Dean?" She looked around but couldn't find her older cousin. She thought it weird that he would have left without saying anything.

Sam snorted humorlessly "Where do you think?"

She watched him as he continued to drink.

"Hey guys"

Sam and Isabel looked up to see Dean and Katie standing by the table.

"Dean" Isabel said. She noticed Katie was wearing a jacket and had her handbag with her. Similarly, Dean had his car keys in his hands "You leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna give Katie a ride home" He said putting an arm around the girl.

"I bet you are" Sam muttered before bursting into a fit of giggles causing Dean to look down at him with an amused smirk.

"Dude, are you drunk?" Dean asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious that I _am_" Sam replied slurring "I'm gonna get more beer" He stood up, making a none-too-straight beeline for the bar.

Isabel laughed as she watched her younger cousin stumble away "He's gonna pay for this tomorrow" She mused.

"Do you want a lift back to the motel?" Dean asked, looking towards his brother then back to his cousin, unsure of whether to leave the two alone.

"Nah, I think the walk back will do him good" Isabel said "It's only around the corner"

"OK then, keep your phone on and call if anything happens. I'm taking the spare key" Dean said "Make sure you take him back soon, otherwise you'll have to carry him"

"OK, go on now you two" She said waving them off "Get out of here. Have fun"

"Bye Isabel, it was nice to meet you" Katie said as Dean led her away.

"You too" Isabel shouted to her back.

She waited quietly until Sam came back. He slumped down on the table and stared blankly at the ground.

"I think I need to go to bed" He said finally.

"No kidding" She said, noticing he was looking a little green "We better call it a night and head back, kiddo"

They stood up and headed towards the bar exit. Sam stumbled as they walked down the steps off the front door and Isabel grabbed for his arm to steady him.

"I don't feel so good" He said.

"Are you going to puke?" Isabel asked alarmed as they headed off towards their motel "Because if you are, I'm _not_ holding your hair back"


	12. The Breakfast Club

AN: Another chappie for you all. I hope people are still reading this. Please R & R. Thanks for all your reviews so far, you guys are really sweet. Toodles, AT

XXXXX

The first thing Isabel heard when she woke up the next morning was thunderous snoring, which momentarily baffled her because she was sure that Dean hadn't come back yet. She stretched out on the bed and sighed contentedly, having one to herself for the first time in over two weeks.

She looked to the bed across from her. Sam was sprawled unceremoniously on the bed, his bare feet dangling over the edge, and she laughed quietly as she remembered dragging him back to the motel last night, pushing him into the room, Sam protesting that he wasn't ready to go to sleep before collapsing back onto the bed and passing out in less than a microsecond. Being too heavy for Isabel to even move him to take his jacket off and failing miserably, though not for lack of trying, she had ended up just taking off his shoes and pulling a blanket over him.

She looked at the alarm clock on the table between their beds. It was almost eight o' clock and they'd only been asleep for about five hours. Knowing how much alcohol Sam had consumed and how deep in sleep he looked and sounded, Isabel figured he'd be out for a while yet. A thought suddenly materialized in her mind. With Dean still 'out' and Sam down for the count, she had time to herself. She could probably go for a run and be back within the hour. She did just that, struggling to run for an entire hour after almost two weeks of no exercise.

She got back to the motel and her theory proved to be true. Dean was still not back and Sam was dead to the world. She quietly showered and changed into jeans and a baby blue t-shirt, and still it was only half past nine. She was hungry. She grabbed her wallet, cell phone and wrote Sam a note, in case she wasn't back when he woke up. She gave him one last look before opening the door and walking down to the motel diner.

It was an hour later that Dean arrived, parking the Impala in front of the room he was sharing with his brother and cousin. He smiled to himself as he stepped out of the car and walked up to the door. He hadn't slept much last night, yet felt more relaxed than he had in ages.

He'd taken the spare key with him, so he unlocked the door and walked straight into the room. He stopped mid step as he looked down at his brother sleeping form. Isabel's bed was empty, but before he could wake Sam up and ask where the hell she was, he saw a piece of paper lying across her pillow. He walked over and picked it up, reading it aloud.

_Sam, don't freak out, I'm at the diner. Isabel. PS: I've left aspirin out for you_

He looked at the small bedside table between Sam and Isabel's bed and smiled. Yes, she'd left the aspirin and a glass of water out for him. He put the note back on the pillow and took a shower. Noticing his brother was still out when he finished, he decided to join Isabel. Not surprisingly, he was hungry too.

He walked into the bright sunny diner and looked around for his cousin. The scent of cooking and freshly brewed coffee hit him and his mouth immediately began to water, his growling stomach agreeing loudly. He spotted her sitting on a window booth, her back to him. She wasn't by herself, he noticed, and across from her sat a young man. They were chatting casually, almost like they knew each other.

She had a plate full of French toast in front of her, a glass of orange juice and a steaming mug of coffee. The guy looked like he was just sipping on coffee as he sat there, clearly smitten with the young pretty girl in front of him and hanging on her every word. In fact, he was so captivated by whatever she was animatedly talking about, that he didn't even notice Dean had walked up to them and was standing at the end of the table. He cleared his throat loudly and Isabel and the man looked up at him. She smiled brightly at him.

"Hey, you're back!" She said, moving over on the seat to make room for him "Hungry, stud?"

"Starving" He said eyeing the man warily as he sat next to his cousin. He was sure it wasn't the guy she'd danced with the night before, yet he still looked somewhat familiar.

"Oh, Dean this is Mark" Isabel said, finally noticing her cousin's inquiring expression "He's in the band from last night. The drummer" She turned to Mark again "This is Dean, my cousin"

Dean nodded in acknowledgement towards the man before turning to Isabel slowly.

"You're having breakfast together?" He asked suspiciously.

"Mark was having breakfast when I got here" Isabel explained, knowing what Dean was really trying to ask "He asked me if I wanted to join him"

"Oh" Dean said nodding.

"We didn't have sex" She said bluntly, taking a sip of her juice.

At her candid, if not lewd comment, Mark choked on his coffee and looked at Dean stunned. He shook his head, agreeing with Isabel.

"No" He said quickly "We didn't"

"Good" Dean said smiling at Mark.

He didn't take his eyes off of him and Mark got Dean's message loud and clear; He was no longer welcome.

"Well, I better get going" Mark said, taking the hint and standing up "You in town for long?" He asked Isabel hopefully.

"Actually Mark, we're leaving today" Dean said.

"Oh" Mark's face showed disappointment though he tried to hide it. He held his hand out to Isabel "It was a pleasure to meet you Isabel"

"Likewise" She said, flashing him a warm smile as she shook his hand "Bye Mark"

Mark turned to Dean "Mark" Dean said with a nod.

"Catch you later" Mark said.

Dean watched Mark leave the diner, then stood and took the seat he'd been occupying, across from Isabel.

"Mark the drummer?" He smirked at Isabel.

"Drummers are good" She said casually, flexing her biceps "Strong arms"

"I thought I was going to have to physically drag him away from you" He said.

"He wasn't bothering me Dean, we were just talking" She said, but her voice lacked heat as her attention was brought back to her breakfast "You could have been a little more polite"

"Is it always like this with you?" He asked curiously.

"I have that effect on men" She said in mock arrogance as she dramatically fluttered her eyelashes "What can I say? They find me quite mesmerizing"

He laughed at her theatrics "You're like a female version of me"

"You wish" She snapped back with a smile.

He chuckled "Saw Sam sleeping"

"Passed out, you mean" She said, biting into her toast.

The waitress came and took Dean's order, pouring him a cup of coffee which he wasted no time in drinking.

"He was wasted!" Dean said smiling at the memory of his little brother stumbling to the bar for another beer.

"You have no idea" Isabel said shaking her head "He was out like a light before his head even touched the pillow. He's going to wake up with the mother of all hangovers"

"I hope so" Dean said wickedly with an evil smile.

"How did it go with Katie?" Isabel asked with a smirk of her own.

"Do you want the family friendly version or the adult version?" He asked.

"Eww, I don't want either version" She said, slightly frightened at what in Dean's predictably dirty mind the adult version would entail.

He raised an incredulous eyebrow at her "Since when are _you _the blushing virgin?"

"I'm not" She said offended. True, she was no delicate flower, but some things didn't need to be shared. Even between family "I was just being polite Dean, and really, I only need a one word answer"

"It went well" He said.

"Good" She said "Gonna see her again?"

"We're leaving today" Dean said plainly.

She was about to say that they didn't have to, that they could stay a few more days. Graceland wasn't going anywhere. But for some reason, she figured that the thought of staying in Harrison just so that he could spend some time with Katie had never even crossed Dean's mind.

"I'll take that as a no then" Isabel said, deciding not to push it.

"Look out" Dean said pointing out the window "Sleeping beauty's up"

Isabel followed his gaze and watched as Sam slowly made his way to the diner. His head was slumped and it looked like it even hurt him to put one foot in front of the other. He was squinting as the sun hit his eyes and when the door to the diner shut behind him with a thud, he cringed and groaned in pain, rubbing his temple with his fingertips.

He looked around and spotted Dean waving him over. He walked over and sat next to Isabel without a word. The waitress arrived at the same time with what Isabel, in her opinion would not have called 'the complete start to the day' as the menu so temptingly suggested, but rather a 'heart attack on a plate', and placed it in front of Dean. She turned to Sam and asked him if he wanted anything. He shook his head as he stared at Dean's obscene serving of bacon, eggs and toast in disgust, groaning again.

"Coffee, please" He croaked out without even looking up at the waitress "Black"

The waitress filled a cup for him and Dean then walked away. Dean was smiling at him, openly enjoying the fact his brother was in such physical self-induced suffering. Isabel on the other hand was looking at him sympathetically.

"How are you feeling honey?" She asked rubbing his back gently.

"Like I drank too much" He said turning his bloodshot eyes to her "I take it we got back alright last night?"

"Yeah" She said unsuccessfully repressing a laugh at the memory of him stumbling down the street "I dragged you back before you went comatose"

"You managed to tear yourself from the frat boy?" Sam asked.

"Lava lamp? Yeah" Isabel said "I left him with his friends"

"Lava lamp?" Dean asked confused.

"Josh, the guy I was dancing with" She explained "You know, lava lamp? Pretty to look at but not very bright"

"Oh" Dean nodded in understanding "Have a good birthday, buddy?" Dean asked.

Sam smiled "Yeah, actually I did. Although I'm slightly regretting it now"

Isabel finished eating and grabbed the paper that was on the table, flipping through it. Sam grabbed a section from her and started reading it too. Dean continued to wolf down his atherosclerotic feast.

"Hmm, that's weird" Sam said, his attention drawn to a small article.

"What is?" Isabel asked sliding over and resting her chin on his shoulder as she quickly skimmed through the article Sam was talking about. It was about a construction worker, suspected of dying of Mad Cow Disease "Yeah, it's a little weird, I guess" She said noncommittally as she slid back to her place on the seat.

"He died suddenly" Sam continued "I mean, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease usually takes years to kill" He stopped for a second, looking at his brother and cousin. Neither looked particularly interested. Isabel's eyes went back to the crossword she'd found.

"Huh?" Dean asked frowning.

"Mad Cow Disease" Isabel and Sam said together.

"Mad Cow…wasn't that on Oprah? " Dean asked.

Isabel and Sam looked at him blankly

"You watch Oprah?" Isabel asked, stifling a laugh.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam asked aloud, too interested in the article to make fun of Dean's revelation. Later, maybe.

"What if the Hokey Pokey really _is_ what it's all about?" Isabel asked him in mock dread.

Dean snorted as he continued to shovel fried eggs and bacon into his mouth, without any evident regard for his cardiovascular system and glad the focus had shifted from his embarrassing admission. Sam looked at Isabel in irritation.

"I see you've had your big fat cup of crazy for the day" He said sarcastically.

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Sam" She said in disdain "I know what you're trying to do. You want to get out of going to Graceland"

"No I'm not, Bel" Sam said "I really think we should look into it. Oklahoma is not that far away"

"How is this your problem? I thought you just wanted to go on a road trip and maybe, _maybe_ find your dad? What do you think you're going to get out of going to Oklahoma?" Isabel said.

"Well, we still haven't heard squat from dad and it's not about getting anything out of it" Sam protested "It's about trying to make the world a better place"

"Oh please. Make the world a better place?" Isabel said rolling her eyes "Save it for the pageant Miss Kansas"

"Dean, will you please back me up here?" He cut in, appealing to his brother.

Dean looked at Isabel "We're going to Oklahoma" He said with his mouth full.

She huffed in annoyance and returned her attention to the crossword, sulking for a few moments as silence settled on the table.

"Seven down...three letter word for jerk...Mmm" She frowned in concentration and looked at Sam, gasping in realization "Oh, I know!" She said looking back down at the paper as she scribbled her answer, spelling it aloud "S-A-M"


	13. Oklahoma!

AN: I will be wrapping this up in a few more chapters. I'm not going to tell you how I'll end it or what'll happen to these three, but suffice to say they won't be skipping happily into the sunset. I will let you know that I'll make it fit in to the season storyline. Toodles, AT.

XXXXX

Arkansas/Oklahoma

Just one and a half hours later, in the middle of a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon the Winchester brothers and Isabel crossed the state border into Oklahoma. Sam was feeling better now, although still driving with the window wound down and letting the cool breeze blast his tired puffy face. Isabel was in much better spirits, begrudgingly conceding that the drive had been quite scenic and so far she liked the verdant state and maybe this Dustin guy had really died of Mad Cow Disease like the paper suggested, and then they could get the hell out and continue with their road trip. Dean was in the passenger seat, his head leaning slightly against the window, as he dozed on and off.

Sam and Dean, suffering from a pounding headache and sleep deprivation respectively, had mutely agreed on no music for this particular drive, both preferring silence in their current state, but they quickly changed their minds when Isabel started singing show tunes from Oklahoma, the musical.

"Oklahoma! Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, and the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet. When the wind comes right behind the rain"

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean asked startled, his eyes popping open. It wasn't that she was singing loud, but so horribly off key.

"I'm singing" She said before bursting into song once more "And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We're only sayin', you're doin' fine"

"Stop that" He said in annoyance.

"Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K" She continued "Sing with me"

He turned around sharply and pointed a finger at her, silencing her instantly "If you don't shut up, I will _make_ you"

"_Now_ who's being the grumpy one, huh?" She asked wounded "Come on, you won't turn the radio on and neither one of you has spoken more than three words to me in like two hours!"

Without another word, Dean turned around in his seat again. He switched on the radio on, the volume low, and closed his eyes again, resuming his siesta. Sam looked at Isabel through the rearview mirror. She'd turned her head to look out the window at the passing scenery, a melancholy expression on her face as she sighed in defeat.

Left to wonder in her own mind, a memory popped into her head, uninvited though not entirely unwelcome. It was a memory of a happier time in her life. She had been six when her parents had loaded up the car and taken her on a family trip to visit Uncle John and her cousins. The boys were in Texas at the time and her mom said they would have to leave straight away and drive down from Illinois if they wanted to catch up with the Winchesters for Dean's eighth birthday.

Years later, when she was older and could understand, her mom would reveal that she'd gone to great lengths to get a hold of John, and it had been an even greater struggle to get him to agree to stay in Texas for a while longer until they could make it down so she could see her nephews, so Isabel could see her cousins. She realized now that all the reunions she'd had with her cousins throughout her childhood, which incidentally were few, had occurred in a similar impromptu manner; her mom tracking down her estranged brother-in-law, begging him to please stay put while they drove to the most obscure and remote places in the country to meet up with John and the boys for a day or two before they disappeared again.

This would usually happen once, sometimes twice, a year. Until her parents died; then with her mom gone, there was no one left to make the effort and no one left to pressure John into any sort of family responsibility. When John refused to accept custody of then sixteen-year-old Isabel after the death of her parents, she not only failed to take up her mother's role in keeping what was left of the family in touch, but in the midst of her depression and blind anger at being so callously abandoned, she severed all ties with her uncle and cousins, completely, refusing to even speak to any of them again for eight years. It would have been for the rest of her life if Sam and Dean hadn't turned up at her doorstep almost a month ago, refusing to leave in spite of her coldness and hostility towards them. She shook the thought off before it could regenerate those feelings of loneliness and anger within her again. That thought _was_ unwelcome, and she'd since rebuilt that particular bridge with her cousins. Her mind drifted back to her parents and childhood. She smiled again and focused on the scenery rushing by.

She remembered Oklahoma now. They'd driven down this exact part of the state, eighteen years ago, on their way south to Texas and she remembered her mom had started to sing songs from Oklahoma! Her dad had initially complained in very much the same way Dean just had, before finally giving in and joining in with his wife. She had laughed at the pair from the back seat and begged her mom to teach her the lyrics. Before long all three in the car were singing along.

She let out a little poignant laugh as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh, strange how a happy memory could hurt so much! She loved these memories though, it was more than some had, she thought as her mind went to her cousins. She didn't really know exactly what kind of childhood they had, but was fairly certain none of their memories involved a jovial John rallying his sons into a spur-of-the-moment show tune sing along as they made their way to Middle-Of-Nowhere, USA, to hunt down yet another demon, or ghost, or werewolf, or whatever it was they usually hunted.

"You Ok, Bel?" Sam asked, briefly glancing back at her.

She turned away from the window and faced him "Yeah, just thinking" She said smiling "Why?"

"You just looked a little lost, that's all" He said "Like you were somewhere else"

"I was" She said then smiled brighter "But in a good place"

"We're almost there" He said with another glance her way. He momentarily worried about giving her too much time to think "Want something to do?"

"Yeah" She said eagerly, grateful for a distraction.

"How about you find the guy who was with Dustin when he died?" He suggested tentatively, holding his breath for a barrage of complaints and refusals.

"OK, Sam" She said obediently, pulling out Sam's laptop onto her lap. She started looking through all the newspaper articles about the strange death.

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise at her uncharacteristic compliance, and he noticed even Dean was taken aback as he looked at Sam before turning to watch Isabel curiously. Sam watched her on the rearview mirror. She hadn't noticed her cousins' interest in her unusual behavior as she concentrated on the screen in front of her. He frowned as he thought of her mood swings, they were so unpredictable lately. It was impossible to know what would make her angry, what would make her sad, scared, happy, what would just slide right off of her.

"Travis Weiss was in with Dustin when he died. They work for the same construction company" She said as she read from the screen.

"Can you get an address?" Sam asked.

"Patience, my dear" She said as she typed on the keyboard "Got it!"

She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled it down. She then pulled up a map of the area where he lived, not far from where he'd been working with the victim.

"Is it far?" Dean asked.

"Nope, only about fifteen miles" She said finally looking up at both her cousins "Look for a sign that says Oasis Plaines"

They found the place within the half hour. Travis Weiss lived about ten miles from Oasis Plaines, the new real estate development neighborhood. They pulled up across from his house and found the man in his front lawn, working on his car. They sat there for a few moments just watching him quietly.

"Well?" Dean said "If we just sit here all afternoon watching him, it's called stalking"

"I don't think we should all go down, it might make him a little anxious" Sam said.

"I'll go" Isabel offered earnestly. Her cousins looked at her unsurely "What? It's just talking, isn't it? I can do _that_"

"Find out where exactly Dustin died" Sam told her.

"And if he noticed anything weird" Dean added "Don't tell him who you are, if he asks, lie"

"Piece of cake" She said, opening the door to the car and stepping out "OK, here I go"

"Yeah, go on Bel, _mesmerize_ him" Dean teased her.

She didn't turn as she walked towards Travis and he wasn't sure if she heard him until she flipped him the bird behind her back.

XXXXXX

She came back not five minutes later stepping into the car and directing them to the house in Oasis Plaines where Dustin had died. She told them what Travis had said about Dustin, he hadn't been acting strange at all and had no illness that he knew about. Dustin had just fallen through the hole in the ground while they'd been working, Travis went to get a rope to pull him out but when he got back, Dustin was already dead.

They pulled up to the house and noticing it was unoccupied, all three stepped out of the car and walked over, standing around the deep narrow hole in the front lawn, looking down.

"That's pretty narrow" Isabel pointed out unnecessarily.

"You're the smallest" Dean suggested as he looked at her.

"There is no way in hell I'm going down that hole" She said and took a step back to further reinforce her position on the subject.

"Hmm…looks like there's only room for one" Dean said looking at Sam as he pulled out a coin from his pocket "You want to flip a coin?"

"Dean, we have no idea what's down there" Sam said, looking down the dark hole.

"Alright, I'll go if you're scared" Dean said mockingly "Scared?"

"Flip the damn coin!" Sam snapped in irritation.

"Call it in the air, chicken" Dean said as he flipped the coin in the air.

"Don't drop me" Sam said, quickly snatching the airborne coin and jumping down into the hole. Isabel bent down to hand him a flashlight.

XXXXX

"You found beetles, in a hole, in the ground?" Isabel asked once they were driving away "Wow, shocker!"

"Look at this place" Dean said as they drove through the picture perfect neighborhood "Gives me the creeps"

"What?" Sam asked looking sideways at his brother.

"Growing up in a place like this would freak me out" Said Dean.

"Why?" Sam asked, still not understanding.

"The manicured lawns, 'How was your day honey?'" Dean grimaced "I'd blow my brains out!"

"There's nothing wrong with normal" Sam said offended, he would have given anything to grow up in a place like this with his family, including his mother.

"I'd take our family over normal, any day" Dean said with a smile "Right, kitten?"

"Ever think that we _are_ normal. That we've always been normal" Isabel said "That maybe, it's everyone else that's crazy?"

Dean nodded and looked out the window in contemplation "Yes, actually, I have" He said slowly before his gaze stopped at a sign on the side of the street. It advertised a BBQ held by realtors for prospective home owners "Hey, you guys hungry for a little BBQ?"

"I could go for a bit of BBQ" Isabel said looking at her watch. It was close to four in the afternoon.

Dean turned to Sam "How about you?" Sam glared at him "What, we can't talk to the locals?"

"Free food has nothing to do with it?" Sam asked skeptically, knowing his brother only too well.

"Of course not" Dean said in shock as he parked the car "I'm a professional"

"Let's just try to fit in, OK? " Sam pleaded as they headed up the front steps to the house.

Isabel frowned "With _these_ people?" She asked "Why?"

"Because we can't afford to stand out" Sam said turning to her.

"You know Sam, you shouldn't compare yourself to others. People are more screwed up than you think"

They gave Larry, the realtor, a bogus story about all three being siblings and looking for a house for their dad. The man looked at the three suspiciously but in the end appeared to have bought it, letting them in and introducing them to some people at the BBQ. It wasn't long before they split up. Isabel headed over to a group of women, who were chatting at one of the tables. Sam and Dean were approached by a pretty woman who introduced herself as Lynda, Larry's sales manager, eagerly trying to encourage a purchase.

"Let me just say, we accept home owners of all race, religion, color or…sexual orientation" She said in a friendly tone.

Sam opened his mouth to protest but Dean beat him to it "Right. I'm going to go talk to Larry" He said to Sam, a twinkle in his eye "Okay, honey?" And with a light smack on Sam's butt, he left his little brother to stammer his way out of that one.

XXXXX

They met up an hour later and jumped in the car again, discussing what they'd each found out. Dean told Sam and Isabel that Larry Pike had said a surveyor died from a bee sting the year before, and Sam then pointed out that Larry's son, Matt, owned a pet tarantula which he tried to use as a practical joke on Lynda, and also seemed particularly interested in bugs.

"What about you Bel?" Sam asked her "What did you find out?"

"Well, apparently…" She started excitedly as she slid forward and rested her elbows on the front seats, poking her head in between her cousins as if she was telling them a secret and they weren't the only three people in the car "Curtis O'Brian, Larry's brother-in-law is having an affair with his ex-sister-in-law. Wait, hang on…" She frowned, temporarily confused by her own story before nodding and continuing "No, yeah, that's right, his wife's sister's husband, Curtis, is having an affair with Larry's brother's ex-wife. How twisted is that? And get this…it seems the affair began two years ago before her divorce was even finalized, which raises the question of who is the father of her little girl, because rumor has it…" She said dropping her voice to a whisper and raising her eyebrows in a scandalous gesture "She looks a lot like Curtis"

Sam and Dean looked at her speechless, unsure if she was being serious or not. Dean sighed tiredly and turned back to the road.

"I meant did you find out anything about Dustin's death?" Sam asked patiently.

"No" She said casually "But then again, I didn't ask."

"Why not?" He asked, patience slipping.

"Because I don't see the point" She said "Dustin's dead, it was an accident, there's nothing to find out"

"Dean and I found out stuff" Sam argued.

"Yeah" Isabel started slowly as she looked at her cousins from the backseat "You found out Matt has a tarantula and a surveyor died from a bee sting last year. Want me to alert the media? Hey Dean, want me to start with Oprah?"

"Bite me" Dean said pulling up a driveway.

"There's something here. I know it!" Sam said with conviction turning back around in his seat. He looked at the house suddenly in front of them.

Sam and Isabel turned to Dean questioningly.

"Why are we parked here? " Isabel asked warily, though she knew what was in Dean's shady mind.

"Come on" Dean said getting out of the car "Who's gonna know?"

"We're gonna squat in an empty house?" Sam asked horrified.

"I wanna try the steam shower!" Dean said eagerly stepping out.

"Is this legal?" Isabel asked Sam in alarm.

"It's not _i_llegal" He replied.

"You're the lawyer!" She said taking his word and following Dean into the house.

XXXXX

Please, Please, Please R&R. I appreciate all reviews. If there's something about the story or the characters (well, Isabel) that you don't like, feel free to tell me. It was pointed out to me that Isabel is a little stuck up. I agree with you , she totally is. Then again, she's an only child and I feel she's got her reasons for being sometimes insensitive and using sarcasm and jokes as a defense mechanism, she's been through a lot. She's human and she needs to have flaws like everyone else, including Sam and Dean. It's no fun writing a perfect character, because they don't exist. Love constructive critisism, please keep it coming!


	14. Bugs

AN: This is a long chapter. Well, long for me anyway. There's a lot of fighting in this one, which I hadn't originally intended but I had a slight disagreement with my brother and my housemate so I had to let out my frustration somehow. Please R&R, AT.

XXXXXX

Oasis Plaines, Oklahoma

The next morning Sam woke up first, as usual. It was strange to have a room all to himself and he would never admit it to either of them, but he'd actually gotten up, twice, in the middle of the night and poked his head into first Dean's room and then Isabel's. Stranger still was that he couldn't explain why he had the compulsion to. He just told himself he couldn't sleep and there was nothing else to do but walk around the empty house.

He showered, changed and then stayed in his room, making as little noise as possible; figuring they all needed a good sleep in. He checked the police scanners and picked up something about Lynda's house, but before he could get the gist of what had happened, he was distracted by the sounds of Isabel yelling outside his room. He got up and walked out of the bedroom onto the hallway. She was standing outside the bathroom, huffing and puffing.

"Hurry up Dean!" She yelled as she pounded on the door. She turned to Sam "Half an hour he's being in there, Sam! What the hell is he doing?"

"I'd rather not know" Sam said turning around and heading towards the kitchen "I've picked up something on the scanner, at Lynda's house"

"Larry's sales manager?" Isabel asked curiously.

At that point the bathroom door opened and Dean stood in front of them in a cloud of steam, a self-satisfied smile on his face. A towel wrapped around his waist and another on his head.

"That shower is awesome!" He said to Sam and Isabel.

"Clearly" Isabel cut dryly in as she pushed past him "I thought you might have dissolved in there"

"We have to go to Lynda's house" Sam said to Dean.

"You guys go. I'm gonna take an _awesome_ shower" Isabel said, pushing Dean out and shutting the door behind her.

XXXXX

She was sitting in the lounge room a few hours later playing solitaire on Sam's computer, and berating herself for being so incapable of handling her boredom that she'd eaten the three Snickers bars she found in one of the bags, when her cell rang. It was Sam with a job for her. He wanted her to locate someone at the nearest college who might know something about anthropology. She rolled her eyes at his abstract request but was sucking so admirably at the card game that she complied anyway.

"Where are you, just out of interest?" She asked "Isn't Lynda's house just around the corner?"

"We're coming back from the woods"

"Woods?" She asked, still searching through the net on his computer "You've been gone for hours. I'm bored out of my mind here, which reminds me, I ate all your candy bars"

"What candy bars?" Sam asked.

"Oh...uhh...tell Dean I ate all his candy bars" She said "What the hell are you two up to anyway? What happened with Lynda?"

Sam hesitated a moment "Lynda's dead" He said quickly "Listen Bel, we really need to find someone at the college"

She was quiet for a second as she let the fact sink in "Why do you need to talk to an anthropologist?"

"We followed Matt into the woods and found some strange bones" Sam explained "Human bones"

"Eew, that's pretty gross" She said "Here we go! Found a professor at Oklahoma State in Tulsa" She said "Only about an hour and a half from here. Two hours tops"

"OK, find out if he's free to see us this afternoon" He said "We'll be there in half an hour to pick you up, be ready"

She scoffed at his order "Yes sir" She said sarcastically.

XXXXX

An hour later she was in the car with her cousins on the way to the college. She listened to them quietly as they told her what they saw at Lynda's house and what Matt showed them in the woods, shaking her head. This was starting to get really weird and she had learnt enough lately to know that that did not bode well.

"Spiders?" She asked with an involuntary shudder. She wasn't really afraid of spiders, but hated them all the same, just for being so disturbingly creepy.

"Yeah" Sam said.

"Think Matt might be involved?" She asked.

"I don't think so, but something or someone's summoning these insects"

She sighed "First the hook man, now spiders…seriously, why doesn't anyone summon kittens or teddy bears?"

Dean shuddered visibly "Ugh, I hate cats" He said.

"What do you mean by that?" She looked at him with wide eyes "You call me kitten all the time!"

"That's different" He explained "I use it as a term of endearment"

"Hmm, right" She said slowly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

She sat back in the seat and watched her cousins closely as not another word was said for the next half an hour. They were quiet. Too quiet. Something had happened between the two.

"What's up with you two?" She asked, not beating around the bush.

Sam turned to her in surprise but she caught Dean's warning glare at his younger brother and read it clearly; it said 'Sam, keep your mouth shut'

"Nothing" Sam said unconvincingly.

"Yeah right" She said with a snort. Sam couldn't lie to save his life. She wondered how he ever figured he could be a lawyer "You guys had a fight"

"A heated discussion" Sam corrected her, looking at Dean "About how my father didn't approve of my life choices"

"Your life choices?" Isabel asked confused.

"Yeah, like going to college and leading a normal healthy life" Sam said sarcastically "Apparently, I should have been happy to be his little soldier or employee forever!"

"What?" Dean cut in indignantly at this point as he parked the car in the college parking lot "Dad never treated us like that!"

They stepped out of the car and Isabel watched nervously as her two cousins argued. She was admittedly no stranger to family arguments, but it was strange to finally not be a part of one and just be a spectator.

"Yeah, he never treated _you_ like that! You were perfect" Sam yelled bitterly at Dean "He was all over my case, you don't remember this?"

"OK, maybe he had to raise his voice a few times, but sometimes you were out of line" Dean said, defending their father.

"Yeah, like when I said I wanted to play soccer instead of learning bow-hunting" Sam countered sarcastically.

"Bow-hunting's an important skill!" Dean argued.

"What's bow-hunting?" Isabel asked quietly, but neither Sam nor Dean seemed to have heard her, both being too engrossed in their argument. She looked from one man to the other in apprehension. She'd never seen them fight like this. She didn't like it.

"Stop defending him" Sam yelled back "He's not here! He left, Dean"

"He didn't leave!" Dean said, though even he didn't sound completely convinced "Something's happened to him, Sam"

"Do you really think that Dean, or would you rather think that?" Sam asked lowering his tone, knowing he was hitting a nerve "You can't stand the idea that doesn't want to be found!"

"Something happened Sam" Dean repeated fervently.

"He didn't tell you he was going, for how long or even where! He hasn't even left a message on your phone" Sam said with uncharacteristic cruelty "Face it Dean, he left!"

"He wouldn't do that! He wouldn't turn his back on his family" Dean said, unwilling to believe Sam might be right, even though the thought his dad might be deliberately eluding their attempts to find him had crossed his mind.

"It wouldn't be the first time" Sam said with a sideways glance at Isabel. Dean turned to her briefly.

"Keep her out of this, Sam"

Isabel looked down at her watch uncomfortably. She wasn't particularly thrilled about interrupting their little squabble, especially knowing that no matter what she said it would inevitably redirect the fight towards her. However, the appointment they had with the professor was for almost half an hour ago, and this _heated discussion_ looked like it could keep going and going, because both her cousins had valid points, and all these thoughts had obviously been in the back of their minds for some time now, patiently waiting to be allowed out.

"I think you guys need to resolve this before you continue on this cross-country 'where's John' tour" She said finally.

"Isabel, stay out of it" Dean warned her, not wanting to be derailed from this conversation with Sam.

"No, I won't" She said "You've dragged me into this. It was supposed to be a holiday, a road trip. Now suddenly I'm part of your X-files field trip, which is fine, by the way, but don't tell me to stay out of it like I'm just a tagalong!"

"This is about _our_ father!" He yelled gesturing to Sam and himself.

"You've got to face the fact Dean, that wherever your dad is, he doesn't want to see you or talk to you yet" She said, as diplomatically as possible, which was always a difficult undertaking for her "It may be hard for you to accept, but don't take it out on Sam"

"You're gonna take _his_ side on this?" Dean asked angrily.

"Sides? What sides?"

"Should have guessed" Dean continued bitterly "You've always hated our dad, you'd want nothing more than for us to hate him too"

She looked at him witheringly "Yes Dean" She said dryly "Out of everything in this world that I could possibly ask for and have, _that's _what I want"

"You don't know him Isabel" Dean said darkly, but his voice had lost its heat "You don't really know our dad"

"I'm not saying I do. I'm just asking the _both of you_ to please stop tip-toeing around what's really bothering you and resolve this because I'm running out of patience, and by patience, I mean Prozac" She said marching up the steps to the building "and we're late, by the way"

"She's right" Sam said.

"No, she's not" Dean argued "She wasn't there when we were growing up. She doesn't know"

"She's right about us needing to resolve this" Sam said "We're not going to get anywhere closer to finding him arguing like this"

They looked at each other for a moment before finally following Isabel up the steps. They put their tension aside as the Professor examined the bones they'd found and informed them about the relocation of the local Indian tribes and the possibility that it might involve one of their burial grounds. He pointed them to a nearby tribe, and specifically their chief, Joe White Tree.

The drive up to the Indian tribe was shrouded in silence and thick tension from all three of them, as if they were all hesitant to speak for fear of setting another argument off.

Unlike Larry Pike and the college professor, Joe White Tree did not buy their story so readily and saw right through their fake student façade. He did however, tell them about their history and how the cavalry raided their village and on the sixth day the chief laid a curse that no man would come to their land, and nature would rise up against them, and on the night of the sixth day no one would survive.

"If the deaths first occurred from the spring equinox then the sixth night is tonight" Sam said as they tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Whatever that curse is bringing, it's going to Oasis Plaines and not tonight…" Isabel said a she looked at the already dark sky. The sun had set, and twilight was fading "…but now!"

"Matt and his family are still there" Dean said as he concluded the Pike's house would be the site.

"We have to get them out" Sam added.

Dean dialed Larry's number, trying to trick the man into believing there was a gas leak in his house and he needed to leave, but the realtor wasn't so easily fooled this time.

"He didn't buy it" Dean said frustrated as he flipped his cell shut "We have to get to them now!"

"But it's already dark, the curse could strike any second, Dean" Isabel pointed out.

"That's why we have to go now!" He said fishing out car keys from his pocket as he looked at his cousin "Isabel, you stay here. Sam, let's go!"

"What?" She asked in alarm "You're leaving me here?"

"Yes, like you said, the curse could strike any second. It's too dangerous" Dean said already heading for the car "Stay here and we'll come get you as soon as we take care of this"

She turned to Sam who was quietly chatting to Joe. He looked up at her as he walked past her and followed Dean towards the car "Joe says it's OK for you to stay"

"No!" She yelled after them "You can't just leave me here"

Dean turned around to face her and took a deep calming breath "Do you want to come with us?" He asked as patiently as he humanly could.

"No, I don't!" She snapped back.

"Then what the hell do you want?" He hissed angrily at her.

"I don't want _you_ to go! Any of us!" She said in frustration "Oh my God Dean, we've already had this argument"

"Yes we have, so why are we having it again?" Already tense from the argument earlier that afternoon and now anxious about the Pikes, meant this was not the time for her to test his patience, which he could feel was very rapidly evaporating.

"Why do you have this stupid need to always play the hero?"

"You didn't complain when it was _you_ we rescued from that demon, did you?" He asked viciously as he moved closer to her "Should we have walked away then, huh? Should we have left you there to die?"

"Dean!" Sam yelled in disbelief at his brother's out-of-character coldness. He stepped between Dean and Isabel, holding Dean back. He pleaded to both of them "Cut it out, you two"

"That's not fair" She said looking at Dean, furious and wounded. How dare he use that against her! "Anyway, that was different"

"Was it? We didn't risk our lives just because you're family and we love you, we did it because you and those girls needed help!" He said heatedly "Someone somewhere has to be willing to help!"

"Does it always have to be you?" She asked "Why the hero complex, Dean?"

"That's it!" He yelled back furiously, pushing Sam aside as he closed the distance between himself and Isabel.

He looked down at her darkly, his eyes flashing in searing anger and his jaw and fists clenched. She swallowed and took a deep shaky breath, but stood her ground. Chin raised, defiant, bracing herself for whatever was coming.

"Dean" Sam pleaded again, but Dean either ignored him or didn't hear him.

"Let me ask you something Isabel, and I promise I will do whatever you say. Just answer me this…Do you want to leave Matt and his family to this curse? Do you want to walk away and leave them to die?" Dean asked her, his voice not as loud but no less angry "Say the word Isabel, and we're out of here. We'll just read about it in the papers tomorrow"

She looked at him incredulous "You're going to dump this on _my_ shoulders?"

"Yes, I am. Because, I don't know what else to do and I've just about had it with you!" He growled viciously, as he pointed a finger down at her "I feel like no matter what I do or say I end up running into a brick wall when it comes to you. So you decide Isabel, that way, whatever happens tonight, _you_ can live with it! So what do you want to do? Want us to leave? Your call"

"I…I" She stammered unsurely as she thought of the young boy and his parents, alone in the house, not knowing what was coming.

"It's not so easy to walk away, is it?" He turned around angrily and stormed off towards the car.

"Wait Dean!" She yelled running after him as the shock from his passionate outburst wore off "Dean, please"

He turned around tiredly "What?" He snapped.

"Don't go off like this" She said in a gentler tone than earlier.

"Like what?" He asked impatiently.

"Like you're angry" She said.

"I _am_ angry!" He shouted "_You_ make me angry!"

She took a deep breath and decided to just let him be "Just…please be careful" She pleaded finally.

He nodded slightly at her "Stay put" He said tersely, walking up to the driver's side and jumping into the car. He slammed the door shut and stared ahead, avoiding her eyes. He was still mad at her.

She turned as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Sam was looking down at her sympathetically, yet slightly disapproving.

"You two really know how to hurt each other" He said shaking his head sadly.

"Sometime I think you guys see this stuff as just some big wild adventure" She said desperate for him to see her point, even if Dean couldn't "It's not Sam, you are seriously risking your lives out there and you may be used to that but I'm not and…with all the people we've lost…if anyone knows how fragile life is, it's us"

"Of course we know that Bel"

"People keep dying, Sam" She said desperately "People we love"

"Isabel" he started.

"I know you guys think I'm a bad person" She said, her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, no one thinks that Bel" Sam said firmly as he looked into her eyes.

"Yes, you do. You both do. You think I'm self-centered and selfish, and you know what? I am! But I don't care! I mean, I don't want anything to happen to Matt and his parents, I really don't, but they're not my family, Sam. _You_ are"

"We'll be fine Bel. I promise" He said reassuring her as her insecurities rose to the surface "We'll get Matt and his family out of there, and we will come right back. Please wait for us here, and then you and Dean can talk this all out"

She nodded reluctantly and smiled slightly as he placed a kiss on top of her head. He jumped in passenger seat of the Impala and Dean wasted no time in driving off, sparing only one glace towards Isabel's figure in the rearview mirror, wiping tears from her face. He heard a sigh from Sam.

"Don't you start with me" Dean said in irritation, though his tone was faintly laced with remorse.

Sam looked at him in surprise "Huh?'

"Oh please, like you're not going to rip into me for making her cry?" He asked pointing a thumb towards the back of the car, and the reservation they were driving quickly away from "You're not going to lecture me on how that whole thing was _my_ fault?"

"No, I'm not" Sam said "You were right back there. A little harsh perhaps, but you were right"

"Why didn't you say something?" Dean asked, now angry at Sam "Why not back me up?"

"Because it wasn't the right time to have an argument Dean" Sam said "We need to focus on this and right now I'll bet all you can think about is the horrible things you just screamed at each other and all the ways in which you were right and she was wrong"

"Wow" Dean said with raised eyebrows "I thought you'd take her side"

"Again with taking sides? Dean, we're not children" Sam said "I'm just able to see things through her eyes too"

"And?"

"And she's just worried Dean" Sam explained "She's just worried something might happen to us. After everything that's happened, can you blame her?"

"You're right" Dean said nodding in agreement with his brother "Lets just focus on what we need to do"

XXXXX

After all the yelling, and crying and worrying Isabel never thought she'd be able to sleep. Yet fifteen minutes after lying down on Joe's bed, which was more comfortable than it actually looked, she drifted off and didn't open her eyes again until her cell rang the next morning. She sat up instantly and ignoring her aching neck and back muscles, pulled her cell phone out of her purse and answered it. It was Sam. Everything had gone well, everyone was safe and they were on their way back to pick her up. Too sleepy and disoriented still to ask questions, she just uttered a groggy "Thank Christ" and "Get your asses back here now", before hanging up and getting up from the bed. She looked around the small room. Joe, who had slept on the couch, despite her protests, was nowhere around. She decided to step outside.

She wasn't surprised to find Joe was already up, sitting on the porch by the door and pouring a hot cup of tea into a wooden gourd. He handed it to her with a slight smile which she returned. She accepted the tea and sipped on it slowly as she took a seat on one of the wooden chairs next to the old man.

"Thank you" She said gesturing to the tea "It's great"

He nodded graciously and poured himself a cup. She looked up at the sky. The sun had already risen and the rays were streaming through the foliage around them. The morning breeze was cool but it was helping her to wake up. The tea was also quickly making her more alert. She looked at her watch. It was almost six.

"The boys OK?" Joe asked finally.

"Yeah" She said in relief "That was them just then. They're coming to pick me up"

"They are?" She couldn't tell if it was a question or not.

"Yeah" She said slowly "Why?"

"Big fight last night" Joe pointed out.

"Yeah, but they wouldn't just leave me here just because we had a fight" She said wondering if that's what Joe was insinuating.

Joe laughed softly "I hope not, that couch is not that comfortable"

She laughed and looked at him with narrowed eyes "Did you just make a joke, Joe?"

"Fighting is good" He said looking at her seriously now.

"Good?" She asked suspiciously.

"Fighting means you love, you care" He said solemnly "No caring, no fighting"

"I guess" She said.

Part of her wondered if Joe was the wisest man she'd ever met and the other part wondered if he just suffered from senile dementia but his words still carried weight because he was an old Indian chief. She guessed he was kind of right, at least about last night. It was true, if they didn't care, they wouldn't have had that fight. If she didn't care or love her cousins, then she would have just let them go without throwing a tantrum.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until she saw the Impala slowly make its way up the dirt road towards them in the distance. She took a deep breath and stood up, handing the empty gourd back to Joe.

"Thank you for everything Joe" She said bending down to place a kiss on the old man's cheek "I'm sorry we lied to you"

"Tried to lie" He said "Tried"

She laughed and nodded "I'm sorry we _tried _to lie to you"

"Don't use up all your apologies on me" He said with a nod towards the approaching car.

"Right. Well, don't worry, I've got lots to spare" She said with a smile "I hardly ever use them"

"Take care Isabel"

"Bye Joe"

She waved at him and ran towards the car, reaching it just as Dean parked it. She jumped in the backseat quickly and looked at her cousins.

"You guys OK?" She asked.

"Yeah" Sam said "Everyone's fine"

She looked at Dean "Dean?"

He looked at her through the rear view mirror, as if it was easier to deal with her reflection "Yeah?" He asked warily.

She reached around the seat to wrap her arms around his neck, using one of her hands to tilt his head to the side so she could place a kiss on his cheek. She sat back in her seat, but still kept her arms around him, leaning forward in her seat.

"I'm sorry" She said to his ear.

He grabbed one of her hands in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze "Me too"

"I want you to know that I think what you guys do is absolutely amazing" She said sincerely, looking from Sam to Dean "but I still wish you didn't have to do it and…I'm not apologizing for that"

"That's OK" Dean said giving the back of her hand a light peck with his lips "I wish we didn't have to do it either"

"So" She said sitting back on her seat and clapping her hands together "Where to now?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked with a grin as Dean pulled out onto the road again "We're going to Graceland!"


	15. Follow The Yellow Brick Road

AN: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. Here's another chapter. John's coming up soon! Toodles, AT

XXXXX

Clarksville, Arkansas

"Dude, what are you doing?" Dean asked groggily watching his brother from his bed, as he sat near the motel room window and furiously scribbled on a large pad "You OK?"

"I know where we have to go next" Sam said, briefly glancing from his sketch to his brother.

"Where?" Dean asked watching his brother strangely.

They were about a day away from Graceland, having stopped for the night outside Clarksville on the way from Oklahoma. As far as he knew, Memphis was their next destination.

"Back home" Sam said, avoiding his brother's eyes "Back to Kansas"

"OK, random" Dean said sitting up in bed as he stared at his brother with a frown "Where'd that come from?"

"Shh" Sam said, bringing his index finger to his lips before pointing to a still sleeping Isabel "I have these nightmares"

"I've noticed" Dean whispered dryly.

"Sometimes they come true" He turned the sketchbook he was drawing on, revealing the picture to Dean.

Dean looked at the sketch and recognized the image with overwhelming dread "Home?"

"Something's going to happen" Sam said "The family that lives in our old house. They're in danger"

"We're almost in Memphis, Sam" Dean said glancing down at Isabel's prone form next to him on the bed. She was facing away from him. This was now their second attempt at making their way to Graceland and he shuddered to think of her reaction to Sam's suggestion that they take yet another detour "She'll throw a hissy fit"

"She'll understand" Sam said unsurely.

"She'll understand?" Dean asked skeptically with a snort "Have you two even met?"

"Stop talking as if I'm not here" Isabel muttered sleepily as she shifted on the bed onto her back, she raised herself on her elbows with a yawn and looked from Sam to Dean as she blinked away sleep "What are you two arguing about now?"

"Sam here" Dean started, looking down at her before returning his eyes to his brother "Wants to go home to Kansas"

"To Lawrence?" Isabel asked Sam "Now?"

"I had a dream" Sam explained, bracing himself from an inevitable outburst from her "A nightmare"

"Like the one you had about me?" She asked with trepidation, remembering Sam's dream about her impending danger over a month ago, which incidentally turned out to be accurate.

"Yeah, kinda" Sam said nodding "I think the family living in our old house might be in danger"

"From what?" She asked "A demon, a ghost?"

"I don't know" Sam said.

"What did you see exactly?" Isabel asked, now curious "Should we leave straight away?"

"What?" Dean asked looking down at Isabel in disbelief "We're not going!"

"We have to Dean, something's going to happen and it's somehow related to our home" Sam said pleading to his brother "This might even be the thing that killed mom and Jessica"

"Whoa, just slow down will ya?" Dean said watching his brother "First you tell me you've got the shining and then you've tell me I've got to go back home…especially when…"

"When what? " Sam asked.

"When I swore to myself that I would never go back there" Dean finished reluctantly.

"I swore to myself I'd never speak to either one of you again, and look how that worked out" Isabel said matter-of-factly looking down at herself then back at Dean next to her on the bed with a raised eyebrow "Now we're sleeping together"

"This is different" Dean said, suddenly uncomfortable with not only her choice of words but the unnerving feeling that she truly wanted to go to Kansas now that Sam had planted the idea in her brain. Why could he not figure her out? She'd kicked up a fuss when told they were going to Iowa and Oklahoma to investigate strange occurrences published in the papers, but now that Kansas was suddenly mentioned after appearing out of nowhere in one of Sam's dreams, she couldn't wait to go? "Besides, I thought you wanted to go to Graceland"

"Now I think I want to go to Kansas with you and Dorothy" She said gesturing towards Sam.

"I'm not ready to go back" Dean said huffily, getting up from the bed "We're not going"

"You really feel that strongly about it?" She asked looking up at him and tilting her head curiously.

"Yes" Dean said "I really strongly don't want to go"

"I think it's worth checking out" Sam persisted "Kansas is only a day or two away"

"Graceland isn't going anywhere" Isabel said with a shrug "What's another detour, right?"

Dean looked at her in confusion "Are you trying to make me strangle you, Bel? If I remember correctly you said you didn't want to do this anymore"

"Yeah but this is different. This might involve you" She said "I mean, this could be a clue or a sign"

"About what?"

"About the demon, or even your dad, I don't know. This could be what you've been searching for" She said excitedly as she sat up on the bed and rested her weight on her knees, moving closer to him "You've dragged me to Iowa and Oklahoma on a whim and now that you might be getting the break you're after, you're wussing out?"

Dean was silent for a moment as he looked from his brother to his cousin "I'm outvoted, aren't I?"

"I'm with Sam on this. Let's go to Kansas"

"If you sing _one_ song from the Wizard of Oz, just one song" He threatened pointing a finger down at her "So help me God…"

She swatted the finger away from her face "OK, no singing" She said rolling her eyes "Metallica all the way"

XXXXX

"This is really weird" Isabel said as she looked out the window of the Impala "It looks exactly as I remember it"

They'd arrived in Lawrence moments earlier and were now driving towards Dean and Sam's childhood home. All three were quiet as they looked around the neighborhood, lost in their own thoughts. Dean parked the car outside their old house, staring at it in awe as if it were an entity all of its own, capable of stirring up feelings and emotions within him that he had worked so hard for years to bury. This was exactly why he'd sworn to himself he'd never come back.

"Ready?" Sam's voice startled him and Dean looked at his younger brother.

"Lets do this" He said stepping out of the car.

Sam and Isabel followed his lead and all three walked up the steps to the front door. Sam knocked and they waited with baited breath for the door to open. A pretty blonde woman opened the door, introducing herself as Jenny. Sam, Dean and Isabel introduced themselves also and Sam explained how they used to live in that house when they were children. Jenny recognized the pair and led them in, showing them the pictures she'd found in the basement earlier.

They looked through the pictures, with nostalgic smiles, sad eyes and poignant thoughts. Most of them were of the Winchesters; Mary, John, Sam and Dean. But there were a couple with Isabel in them.

In one of them, it was obviously summer, and she was outside with Dean as they played in a small inflatable pool in the yard. Judging from their size, height and time of the year, she calculated she would have been about one and a half and Dean three and a half. Isabel was holding a Popsicle in her hand, holding it up to her older cousin with a beaming smile, offering him a taste. Dean, on the other hand, was looking at the offer unsurely, clearly wondering if the appetizing treat was worth the probable risk of contracting girl cooties.

In the other picture it was Christmas day. Mary and Jane, both wearing Santa hats, were together and just chatting in the kitchen with Isabel in Mary's arms, both women unaware someone was about to capture the moment. It would have been hard to tell if it was Mary and not Jane holding Isabel, had it not been for Mary's gigantic pregnant belly. Isabel laughed softly. Guess Sam is in that picture too! She thought to herself.

"Can I keep one of those?" She asked as Dean gathered them and moved to put them in the pocket of this jacket.

"Sure" He said, quickly flicking through them and handing her the one of Mary, Jane and herself.

She wondered why he gave her that one, considering it was one of the few pictures he would have with his mom in it. She was about to hand it back and ask for the one of her and him in the pool, when she considered that maybe he wanted to keep that one for himself. She bit her tongue and placed the picture in her pocket.

As they walked into the kitchen Jenny introduced them to her two children, Sarry and Richie, making Isabel instantly melt into a puddle of goo.

"Oh my God" She squealed in delight as she stood in front of Richie "They're adorable!"

"Thanks" Jenny said with a smile.

"Can I hold him?" Isabel asked as she already started reaching for the baby.

Jenny chuckled "Sure" She said watching Isabel with a smile as she cradled the baby in her arms "Do you have any kids?"

"Just those two" Isabel said with a nod towards Dean and Sam before turning to make funny faces at the baby.

"Yeah, that's funny" Dean said humorlessly as Jenny laughed "So Jenny, how's the house? Everything OK?"

"So far yes" Jenny said as hesitation spiked her tone "I think there may be rats in the basement, but apart from that"

"There's a monster in my closet" Sarry said from her seat at the kitchen table.

The room was suddenly silenced and even the baby seemed to have acknowledged the significance of his sister's statement.

Jenny shook her head as she addressed her daughter "Sarry, darling, that was a dream"

"It wasn't a dream!" Sarry said.

"You know, when I was about your age" Isabel started as she turned to the little girl "Dean made me watch a scary movie with a mean scary clown in it, and ever since then, I've always been afraid of clowns" She said with a glance towards her older cousin, who looked like he was trying really hard to remember that particular anecdote. When he finally did, he smiled and nodded, obviously finding it funny. She turned back to Sarry "I used to have nightmares about one hiding in my closet, and sometimes I even thought those dreams were real. Everyone has scary dreams, Sarry"

"I wasn't dreaming" The little girl protested "It came to my bedroom and it was on fire!"

Isabel looked up at her cousins as Sam and Dean exchanged a meaningful look. Once again, it looked like Sam's dream was more than just a random coincidence.


	16. Uncle John

AN: It's another long one. Missouri's in this one and I've been dying to write this chapter. I just absolutely loved her! Big kisses and hugs to all reviewers. Please keep them coming. Toodles, AT.

XXXXXX

"We need gas" Dean said tersely as they drove past a gas station on the way from Jenny's house.

Sam was too engrossed in the latest coincidences to pay his brother any heed; their childhood home, Sarry's revelation of the fire spirit, his dream. His mind was working overtime to try to figure it all out and connect the dots. Isabel on the other hand was watching Dean closely. She could tell he was upset. She looked down at the needle on the gas gage on the dashboard. There was over half a tank left. They did not need gas.

"Something's going on in that house" Sam said to his brother and cousin as they pulled up to the gas pump "Maybe that's the connection; the house"

There were a couple of wooden picnic tables outside and they took a seat as they discussed what they'd found out and in particular, what Sarry had said. Isabel went inside the shop and brought out three cups of coffee. She sat down next to Sam and set the cups down, listening quietly as Sam and Dean talked about _that night_. The night their mother died.

"What do you remember about that night?" Sam asked.

Dean looked uncomfortable and shifted in his seat. It was clear to both Sam and Isabel that he did not want to talk about this. Sam, however, was not letting it go easily.

"Not much" Dean said finally "Your room was on fire, dad gave you to me and told me to get out"

"Is that all?" Sam pressed on.

"I was four years old!" Dean snapped.

They were quiet for a few more seconds until Sam spoke again.

"Did dad ever say anything else about it?"

"You know dad" Dean said bitterly "He never spoke about that night"

Sam turned suddenly to Isabel "Isabel, do you remember anything?"

She looked unsurely at Dean before retuning confused eyes to Sam "Sam, I wasn't there. I was living in Chicago. Also, I was two!"

"But you and your mom talked about everything, right?" He said, knowing his aunt and cousin had a very close mother-daughter relationship "Did she ever tell you anything about it?"

"And how would _she_ know?" Isabel asked "Your dad barely spoke more than two words to my mom after Mary died In fact, she used to say that being in labor with me for 27 hours was easier than trying to get a hold of your dad"

"I'm gonna take a leak" Dean said suddenly, standing up and heading off towards the back of the gas station.

Isabel and Sam watched him speedily walk away before turning to each other again.

"How do you think he's doing?" Isabel asked Sam in concern as it suddenly occurred to her that Dean was being unusually taciturn.

"It's Dean" Sam said with a sigh "He's not going to tell us"

"I think he remembers more than he lets on" She said.

"You're afraid of clowns?" Sam asked out of the blue with a smile on his face.

"Your brother though it'd be funny to watch 'It'" She said bitterly "You know, the movie with the creepy psycho child-killing clown?"

"Yeah" Sam said nodding.

"I was just a kid" She said "and it totally freaked me out"

Sam laughed "It wasn't _that_ scary"

"Maybe not for you!" She scoffed defensively "I haven't been able to go to a circus since!" It only made Sam laugh harder, and she slapped him on the arm "Don't laugh Sam, he scarred me for life!"

Dean came back a few moments later with a renewed mask of composure and the suggestion they go talk to Guenther, their dad's old mechanic and the closest thing John had to a friend. Maybe the man remembered something. Sam and Isabel looked at each other and shrugged, following Dean back to the car.

XXXXX

"What am I looking for exactly?" Isabel asked from the phone booth as she flipped through the yellow pages and read out the headings from the page "Fortune teller, palm reader, hypnotist?"

"Guenther said palm reader. I reckon try psychic" Dean suggested against his car as he looked through his dad's journal for further clues as to who the palm reader Guenther said his dad had contacted might be.

"There's quiet a few" She said in surprise, propping the book on the ledge of the phone booth as she scrolled down the page and read a few aloud "Lady Mystique, Madam Fortuna, Missouri Moseley…hey, how come they're all women?"

"Wait, go back" Sam said urgently from behind her, leaning over her shoulder to look at the page she'd been reading out from "What was that last one?"

"Missouri Moseley?" Isabel said pointing to the unpretentious advertisement. It was not one that stood out.

"Missouri" Dean repeated with a frown "It sounds familiar"

He flipped back to the front of John's diary. There it was, at the bottom of the first page; the name Missouri and a phone number. Sam ripped the page out of the phone book and carried it over to where Dean was leaning against the hood of the car just a few feet away.

"Same number" Sam said, comparing the two "That's her"

"Let's go" Dean said, pulling out his keys and jumping into the car.

They drove to Missouri's house, again walking up the steps with trepidation and knocking on the door. A moment later a large middle aged black woman stood in front of them.

"Are you Missouri Moseley?" Dean asked up-front.

"Yes" She said looking at the three people in front her closely with suspicion "And you are?"

"Why don't you tell us?" Isabel quipped with a smirk which quickly vanished from her face as Sam elbowed her in the arm "I was only kidding, Sam!" She said defensively.

"John's boys?" Missouri asked looking from Sam to Dean.

All three stared at her in surprise.

"How the f…" Isabel started.

"How do you know?" Sam cut in before Isabel could finish her sentence.

"I recognize you now" Missouri said with a smile as she studied the boys "My, you two have grown up handsome" She looked at Dean "And you were one goofy looking kid!"

"Do you have a moment to talk?" Dean asked as politely as he could, unlike Sam, not amused and wanting to get to the point.

"Please come in" She said as she moved to let them walk past her and into the house. She motioned them into the den and offered them a seat. They chose to sit on the large couch, Isabel squeezing in between her two cousins as Missouri took the arm chair in front of them. Dean fixed his eyes on the coffee table in front of him.

"Boy, you put your feet on my coffee table, I'm going to whack you with a spoon" Missouri suddenly said as she looked at Dean.

Dean looked up at her in surprise "I didn't do anything"

"You were thinking about it" She said with a raised eyebrow.

Sam leaned forward in the couch "The reason we're here…" he started.

"Sam, oh honey" She said as she looked at him sympathetically for a moment "I'm sorry about your girlfriend" Isabel and Dean shared a look as Sam stared blankly at the psychic "and your father…he's missing"

Sam swallowed past the lump in his throat "How do you know all that?"

"You were just thinking it" Missouri said plainly "Just now"

"Well, where is he?" Dean cut in anxiously.

"I don't know"

Dean stared at her blankly "Don't know?" He asked impatiently "You're supposed to be a psychic, right?"

"Boy, you see me sawing some boney tramp in half! You think I'm a magician?" Missouri snapped back, appearing to not have taken Dean's comment all that favorably "I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room but I can't pull facts out of thin air" She finished looking at Isabel, as if she'd only just realized there was a third person with Sam and Dean "You feel familiar, but I don't think we've met"

"We haven't' Isabel said with a smile as she extended her hand "I'm Isabel"

Missouri shook it as she looked at the young girl.

"Of course" She said in recognition "John's niece"

"He… spoke about me?" Isabel asked in surprise as a little smile broke on her face.

"Yes, he did" Missouri said as her expression turned somber and she watched Isabel closely. Her free hand went to rest dramatically on her chest and she gasped, looking at Isabel in sorrow and compassion "Oh you poor child…the things you've gone through!"

Isabel blanched at the realization the psychic was penetrating her mind and reading her thoughts. She abruptly pulled her hand from Missouri's grasp "What do you mean?" She choked out as steadily as she possibly could.

"So much tragedy in this family" Missouri said sadly as she watched all three people in front of her "So much heartbreak"

Isabel looked at Dean desperately, as if pleading to change the subject and just get his over and done with. He noticed her edginess and urged Missouri to continue.

"We're here because Sam had a dream" Dean said, shifting the focus back to the issue of their old house and Jenny's family.

"About what?" Missouri asked, turning to Sam.

"About our house" Sam explained "Our old house. Something bad is going to happen"

Missouri looked at him curiously "Have you had dreams like this before?"

"Yes" Sam said nodding.

"And they've been accurate?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked down at Isabel. Her eyes were downcast and she was staring at her shaking hands, folded across her lap. He placed one of his own hands reassuringly over hers.

"Yes" He said quietly "The last one was… about Isabel"

Missouri looked from Sam to Isabel, who was still avoiding her gaze.

"I see" She said with a nod of understanding.

Thoughts and feelings from all three of her guests were barraging her. Isabel's remorse and self-reproach over not trusting her cousins enough to take their warning about her being in danger seriously, letting her childish anger cloud her judgment. She'd been too stubborn to let them help her, and instead pushed them away. Dean's anger and heartache, not only for not rescuing their cousin in time, but for letting the demon take her in the first place, right from under his nose. He'd been right there, in a position to stop it, but in the end had failed her miserably, and now he would have to live with that forever. Sam's own guilt and shame over not being able to fully understand what his dreams meant, what they had been trying to tell him al along. His anguish and frustration at not having had taken his dream about Jessica and Isabel seriously enough. If only he had, then maybe…

Too much heartache and suffering flooded the psychic and she had to break the silence lest she cry out for their pain.

"After the fire, your dad came to see me" She started "I guess you could say I introduced him to the supernatural world. I've been keeping an eye on the place" She confessed "But it's been quiet all this time. I wonder why it would be active again"

"Maybe something's starting up" Sam suggested.

The four agreed that whatever was going on with the Winchester's old house, it was bad and Jenny and her kids were in danger. They decided to drop by her place again and get her and the kids out while they tried to find out what was in that house and how to get rid off it.

Getting Jenny to leave the house proved to be less difficult than they'd thought; the young mother already looking rather spooked as she greeted them at the door. Dean's initial attempt did not go down as smoothly as Missouri's more straightforward approach.

"Listen, Jenny, it's important…Ow!" Dean looked at Missouri in irritation as the psychic smacked him over the head.

"Give the poor girl a break, can't you see she's upset?" Missouri turned back to Jenny "Forgive this boy, he means well but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed"

Sam and Isabel suppressed a smile as Dean took a deep calming breath.

"Isabel" Missouri said as Jenny gathered her children and got ready to leave "Why don't you go with Jenny? She needs a hand"

"Oh, no, that's alright" Jenny said "I'm fine"

"No really, I insist. Take Isabel with you" Missouri said "Please Isabel, go with Jenny. We should be done here in a couple of hours"

Isabel looked at Missouri strangely, wondering why the older woman was so determined in getting her out of there. Sure, it made sense to go with Jenny and give her a hand, but part of her felt that Missouri had an ulterior motive, for some reason she did not what her in that house. Maybe she wanted Dean and Sam to do this on their own, she thought to herself. In any case, she decided it wasn't the time to kick up a fuss.

"Do you mind if I go with you?" Isabel asked Jenny as she noticed her cousins were also now watching Missouri curiously.

They left immediately, spending the afternoon in the park with the kids. If Isabel had ever had any doubts about having children of her own, they had vanished completely from her mind after just two hours spent with Sarry and gorgeous Richie. She wanted this, she realized, a family of her own. Jenny and Isabel talked for a while, as they kept an eye on the kids, before finally heading back to the house.

"What the hell happened here?" Isabel asked in dismay as she looked around Jenny's ransacked house. The whole place was a wreck.

"Don't worry, Dean's going to clean up this mess" Missouri said to a suitably horrified Jenny "Well what are you waiting for boy, grab the mop" She ordered Dean, before glaring at him "and don't you cuss at me"

They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening cleaning Jenny's house, and by the time the four made it back to Missouri's place it was already dark.

"I think we should keep an eye Jenny's place tonight" Sam said as they pulled up to Missouri's driveway.

"You think something's still going to happen?" Isabel asked, referring to the spirit.

"I'm not sure" Sam said, turning to Missouri "It's just this feeling I have"

The older psychic nodded at him and looked at Isabel "Isabel, I've got a spare room. I'd love for you to stay with me, honey"

Isabel knew that under no circumstances and no matter how much she would protest, she would not be allowed to join her cousins tonight, and it wasn't a feeling she got from Sam and Dean only, but also from Missouri. She nodded at the psychic and turned to her cousins.

"I'll just get my stuff out of the trunk" She said, not wanting to make waves tonight. Everyone was tense enough already "Please be careful guys"

She walked with Missouri into her house, dropped her suitcase on the floor and looked out the window of her den as her cousins drove off. She wondered how they were dealing with being back home. She had the feeling that Dean was having a harder time than Sam.

"They'll be fine" Missouri said from across the room, behind her.

Isabel turned and faced her, not knowing if she was referring to the possible haunting of the boys' childhood home or the simple fact of being back in a place that held a lot of grief and bad memories for them. Was she reading her thoughts again?

"Yeah. I just worry, you know?" Isabel said softly, before smiling sadly "It's weird. For eight years I hardly even spared them a thought, and now I actually worry about them. How was it so easy to start all over again, as if we'd never been separated?"

"I'm not sure child" Missouri said "But family is like that. You what they say, blood is thicker than water"

Isabel smiled again and turned back to the window "Yes, I've heard that before"

"It must be an experience to be around those two" Missouri asked amused.

"You have no idea. Though, you probably do" Isabel chuckled "I'm no picnic either, I'll have you know. Still, I'm glad to get the night off"

"Me too dear" Missouri said walking a couple of steps towards her "Because we need to talk to you"

Isabel turned to Missouri, her brow furrowed in confusion "We?"

Missouri remained quiet and impassive, just studying her closely. A slight creak from the other side of the room caught Isabel's attention and she turned to the sound. Her breath caught in her throat and she actually felt her heart skip a beat, maybe even two. She felt the blood drain from her face, pooling in her stomach, and she thought that if she tried to move, she might actually faint. She briefly wondered if her medication would ever cause her to hallucinate as she stared speechless at the man across from her.

She swallowed and found her voice "Uncle John?"


	17. Bombshell

She swallowed and found her voice "Uncle John?"

"Hello Isabel" John Winchester said, emerging fully from the shadows.

She watched him in silence for a moment, as if to reassure herself that the uncle truly was standing in the same room as her. A lamp was turned on, and Isabel didn't have to look Missouri's way to know the psychic was responsible for the soft light now illuminating the room. Yep, she thought to herself, it was John Winchester alright! Looking older, rougher, and jaded, but immediately familiar and recognizable.

"This is _not_ a good time for my meds to start wearing off" She said vacantly, still glued to her spot.

"I know this is a shock for you" He started casually.

"A shock? For _me_?" She asked incredulously, and just like that her shock at seeing her uncle was replaced by impulsiveness "Never mind what this is for me. It's going to be a bigger shock for Sam and Dean. My God John, where have you been?"

She reached for her handbag and fished for her phone, quickly scrolling down to Dean's contact number, but John swiftly stepped forward and snatched it away from her. Too surprised at the sudden movement she just stared at him questioningly.

"They can't know I'm here" He said gently to her, but she noticed he didn't give her back the phone.

"Your sons have been all over the country looking for you! They are worried sick!" She hissed in frustration. She couldn't believe this "You don't get to make demands here, John"

"Isabel, it's more complicated than you think" He said sternly "More complicated than _they_ even realize"

She looked at him in silence for a moment, her head swimming with questions and a million and one emotions. She took a deep breath and decided to start again.

"What are you doing here, John?" She asked her uncle with forced calm.

"I got a message from Dean earlier today, saying he and Sam were here in Lawrence. He also mentioned you were with them" He said glancing briefly towards Missouri before looking at Isabel solemnly "I came to talk to you"

Her eyes widened in surprise "Talk to _me_?"

"Isabel, please sit down" He said gently, though his voice was deep and grave. It was the same tone her parents had used when they sat her down and told her that Fluffy had gone to doggy heaven. He moved away from her to sit on one of Missouri's armchairs.

She sat on the couch opposite him, while Missouri sat next to her and the whole scene reminded her of earlier that day. Oh, how she wished Sam and Dean were here with her now! John and Missouri kept looking from each other then back to her and it was making her uneasy. Like they knew something she didn't, which she figured was probably the case.

"What's going on?" She asked finally, with a hint of apprehension, looking from her uncle to the psychic.

"I heard about what happened" John started "I'm sorry"

"Sorry about what exactly, John?" She asked bitterly, knowing damn well he hadn't come to her after eight years to apologize and exchange pleasantries. It pissed her off that he thought she would go along with it too. What was she supposed to say? That's OK John, it wasn't your fault? Like hell she was! "Help me out here. You could be sorry about _so many_ things! If you're going to start apologizing to me, I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific"

He looked at her tiredly, but resigned. As much as he didn't need this lip from her, she was hurting, and he knew that. He also knew that a big part of her bitterness was his fault and he kind of deserved it. Problem was, he though worriedly, he wasn't sure how to go about this. 'Approach with care' his brain advised emphatically.

"Missouri told me what happened in Illinois last month" John said tentatively as he studied his niece "How are you doing sweetheart?"

"You don't get to call me sweetheart either" She said coldly "Ever"

He nodded in consent "How are you Isabel?"

"I'm peachy" She said sarcastically as she inwardly begged he emotions to stand back "Did she tell you about anything else that happened to me in the last eight years? I hope she told you about the two delightful years I spent in foster care, 'cause let me tell you John, nothing but good times there!"

"You have every reason to be upset" He continued patiently, though she wasn't making this any easier for him.

"Do I really? _Upset_? That's a rather modest choice of word for what I'm feeling right now" She snapped tartly before taking a second to regain her composure "You know what, John? I don't want to talk about it"

He sighed loudly and decided to let it go. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to talk about it, least of all with him. Knowing how angry she'd been at all three Winchesters, for a moment he wondered how his sons had managed to win her over and get her to trust them again, before shaking the thought from his head. It was too late for him to make amends with her, and in any case, that's not what he'd come here to do.

"Listen, Isabel, about what happened eight years ago…" He started again.

She shook her head "No John. I don't want to talk about that either. It's over, it happened"

"You need to hear it Isabel" He continues sternly.

"Nothing you or I say right now can change things" She said heatedly "Nothing will change the fact that you turned your back on me when I needed you"

"Do you want to know why I really couldn't let you come live with us?"

She took a deep breath and gathered herself for the explanation. She'd wanted to have this conversation ever since the child welfare officer told her that her uncle, John Winchester, had declined their request to secure her guardianship. He had broken her heart and taken her only remaining family from her at a time when she was already grieving for her parents, and now here she was, about to find out why. Suddenly, she lost all her courage and she had the overwhelming desire to run out the door and not come back.

"Because you didn't want your life for me" She offered weakly instead, quoting Sam "It wasn't safe?"

"Not just that Isabel" He sighed, shaking his head sadly "When your parents died and I was asked if I could take you in, I really did consider it seriously. I wanted to" He looked at Missouri "I came to see Missouri about it, but she told me I shouldn't"

"She told you" Isabel repeated in disbelief as she looked accusingly at Missouri before returning to John "And you listened to _her_? _I'm_ your family!"

"Listen, child" Missouri started calmly placing a comforting hand on her arm.

But it wasn't what Isabel needed at that moment. She shrugged it away instantly, looking at the woman next to her, refusing to believe that she had been the reason for her heartache. A complete stranger!

"Don't call me child!" She yelled angrily "You've been in my mind and you know what I've been through. Don't call me child"

"Isabel" The psychic pleaded again.

"And how dare you interfere! Why would you say that to John? What would you know?" Her eyes were watering now, at the unfairness of it all. She hadn't felt this betrayed in so long. Out of spite, she wouldn't let those tears fall "It wasn't your place" She finished faintly.

"I saw something Isabel" Missouri continued gently "The demon"

"You mean…the thing that killed Aunt Mary?" Isabel asked, her interest piqued at the mention of the demon her uncle and cousins had been searching for and hunting, for over two decades. She felt hatred for it, hatred for a demon that hadn't come anywhere near her but had still managed to turn her life upside down.

"Missouri warned me that if I took you in…it would come after you" John said watching Isabel closely to gage her reaction "I couldn't do it Isabel. I couldn't take you in knowing that it would put you in that kind of danger"

"You didn't tell them, did you?" Isabel asked referring to Sam and Dean, her emotions simmering instead of boiling as she gradually found out more and more "You never told them why"

He shook his head "I didn't think they'd understand. I knew they'd fight me on it" He smiled briefly "especially Dean"

"Why didn't you tell _me_?" She asked desperately. Things could have been so different if she'd know why.

"Because this way, I knew you'd end up hating me and... I needed that"

"You needed me to hate you?" She asked with a cringe, as if the words were bitter in her mouth "Well, congratulations John, on your remarkable success"

"I needed for you to be away from all of this, from my boys…" He explained as he leaned forward "…from Sam"

"Sam?" She asked confused as her patience gave out. What did Sam have to do with this? "For Christ's sake John, I don't speak cryptic so do me a favor and just spit everything out before I really lose it"

"I didn't know what the connection between the demon and my family was. I still don't. But now I know the connection is with Sam. I didn't know until his girlfriend died"

"Jessica" She whispered in realization. John knew about Jessica!

"After I found out, I knew I'd made the right decision by not taking you in" He said softly, begging her to understand his motives "But I'd never expected them to look for you. I never thought they would take you in. That you would join them"

Her heart started pounding again and a feeling of dread settled over her as she imagined where John was going with his little speech. She wanted to put this conversation on pause, but knew that whatever was coming was inevitable. She hated knowing she was about to hear something she didn't want to.

"I'm getting a feeling of where this is going" Isabel said slowly "Just… tell me why you're really here"

John and Missouri exchanged a significant look, before he turned to her again with a look of foreboding on his face, and she knew her intuition had been right.

"Isabel, I need you to let my boys go on without you" John said in a measured tone.

"What?" She whispered shakily, although she knew exactly what he was saying.

"You're in danger, honey" Missouri said, placing a hand on her thigh for reassurance "Being around them is not safe for you. Especially not now"

"Are you saying this thing is going to come after me if I stay with Sam and Dean?" She asked horrified. This was getting worse by the minute.

"Yes" Missouri said sadly "That's what I'm saying"

Isabel turned to John, pleadingly. Pleading for what, she didn't know. Maybe for her uncle to burst out in laughter and tell her this was just a joke. A horrible, horrible prank. But she knew her uncle. He was no prankster.

"But I can't leave them now" She said, swallowing as her voice broke "Not after everything that's happened in the last month"

"That's exactly why you need to leave them" John said, pleading to her "Isabel, my boys love you. I never anticipated how close you'd three become. They'll do anything to keep you safe, and if something were to happen to you…you're a weakness"

"I'm a what? " She asked wounded.

"You know why I left my boys Isabel?" He asked her. She shook her head "because they are _my_ weakness. I'm hunting this demon, and I'm getting closer. I love my boys more than anything in this world and that is my weakness. I can't focus clearly with them around me and the demon knows that. Do you understand?"

She nodded "You're not really worried about what might happen to me, but rather what might happen to them if I'm around" She offered cynically.

"I'm asking you Isabel" He said grabbing her hand "No, I'm begging you…please let them go. I don't want to see any of you get hurt. I don't want them to lose you too. The best solution here is for you to stay away from them, for their safety and for yours. Please"

"They'll never let me go home alone" She said, shocked with herself that she was seriously considering this.

"How would you like to stay with me?" Missouri asked "Here in Kansas"

Isabel looked at Missouri as she took everything that had been said in. She found it hard to be angry at John after what he'd said. Even thought the events of eight years ago would not be erased with one conversation, she pushed the past to the back of her mind and focused on the here and now. She believed Missouri and John. They wouldn't tell her she was in danger if she wasn't. And for John to come out of 'hiding' to talk to her, of all people, meant that it had to be serious, and now she was a bit scared.

She'd loved reconnecting and bonding with her cousins. Even though she'd been through a horrific experience she wouldn't mind forgetting about, it was hard not torecognize that it had at least reunited her with her estranged family. She hadn't even realized how much she'd missed them, and how much she still loved them. And now she saw where her uncle was coming from, and exactly how he felt. He hadn't wanted to leave his sons either, but had to make a difficult choice, just like she did now. She didn't want to put Sam and Dean's life in danger anymore than she wanted them to grieve for her if John and Missouri were right about the future.

"They won't like it" Isabel said at last.

"No, they won't" John said, agreeing with her "I can't make you do this Isabel and I know it's a hard decision, but please, put your hatred of me aside, and think of them"

"You think I would put their lives in danger just to spite you? You give yourself a lot of credit" She said as sarcasm got the better of her again. She closed her eyes with a sigh and told herself to act like an adult "and I don't hate you, OK?"

When she opened her eyes he was smiling at her, he raised his hand and caressed her cheek affectionately, holding her chin with his thumb and index finger.

"You look just like your mother" He said tenderly.

"And Mary" She said.

"And Mary" He nodded "I'm sorry about what happened, Isabel. All of it"

"It's in the past" she shrugged. He lowered his hand and watched as she struggled to get her emotions in control "So, what do you suggest I tell them?"

XXXX

AN: This isn't going to go down well with the boys, is it? Please R&R. Have a good weekend everyone! Toodles, AT


	18. And Then There Were Two

AN: I'm sorry but I had to do it. Don't hate me please!

XXXXX

Lawrence, Kansas

After her intense conversation with John, Isabel had spent the best part of the night awake, tossing and turning in the single bed of Missouri's guest room. What kept her awake? Mostly worry. Worry for her cousins and whatever they may be getting themselves into, but mostly worry about the next day and how she would break the news of her decision to stay in Kansas to Dean and Sam.

Missouri came into the room and gently woke her up. She stared blankly at the psychic for a moment before the events of the last twenty four hours resurfaced in her mind, and she cursed out loud that it hadn't all just been a terrible nightmare.

"What time is it?" She asked Missouri groggily.

"Almost seven" The woman said.

Isabel closed her eyes again. She'd only slept about three hours. Great.

"Are they back?"

"Yes" Missouri said "They're OK. I'm going to go with them to Jenny's to make sure the house is clean and ghost free"

"Alright" Isabel made a move and sat up "Just give me a minute"

"It's OK honey" Missouri said walking to the door "We won't be long. You stay and…take your time…think about how to…"

"Drop the bomb?" Isabel offered.

"It's been a rough night for them too. They need to deal with _this_ first" The psychic said before stepping out and shutting the door behind her.

She heard her walk down the stairs and then the sound of muffled voices. She ran to the door and pressed her ear to the frame. She faintly heard Missouri tell Sam and Dean that she was still sleeping. They seemed to go along with it and a minute later she watched the Impala drive off, as she stood at the window.

In the bathroom she looked at her reflection with concern. She'd cried a lot the night before and her eyes were red, her face was puffy and she had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She looked like crap. Still, she thought dryly, she looked better than she felt. She freshened up, took her medication and went downstairs, making coffee and waiting patiently in Missouri's kitchen for her cousins to return as she debated with herself on the best way to ruin everyone's day.

They returned an hour and a half later and, not knowing when she would get the chance again, she rushed out the door and threw her arms around Sam first, then Dean. Dean laughed and looked at her strangely, shaking his head at his cousin's impetuous and often eccentric behavior.

"Miss me _that _much, did you?" He asked her with a smirk.

She could feel Missouri's eyes on her as they walked back into the house, but she chose to avoid the psychic's scrutinizing stare. She wondered how long she could delay the inevitable for.

She sat with Sam in Missouri's kitchen drinking coffee. Missouri started preparing a batch of cookie dough whilst listening to their conversation intently. Isabel listened quietly as her cousin recounted the events of their night for her.

"Your mom?" Isabel asked in disbelief as Sam told her of Mary's appearance.

"Yeah" Sam said softly.

"You actually _saw_ her?" Sam nodded and she smiled faintly "Wow, that's amazing"

"What a night" Sam said with a shake of his head "I thought I was going to faint"

Isabel stared at him in silence. Tell me about it! She thought to herself. This morning wasn't going to be any less eventful.

"Looks like your dream was right, again" Isabel said.

"I only wish dad had been here too" He said wistfully.

She swallowed the coffee in her mouth before she could choke on it and saw Missouri turn sharply out of the corner of her eye at his comment. Thankfully the awkward silence was broken.

"Where's your stuff, Bel? I'll take it to the car" Dean said walking into Missouri's kitchen "If we leave now, we can be in Memphis by the end of the week"

Dean looked at his cousin expectantly and she gathered all her strength, knowing this was the time.

"Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" Isabel asked, standing up.

Dean and Sam looked from each other to her.

"Go into the den" Missouri suggested, giving Isabel an encouraging smile.

They followed her into the den and the three of them took a seat. The scene was again reminiscent of the night before, except today she was sitting in the chair John had, just hours earlier. Sam and Dean watched Isabel curiously as they sat next to each other on the couch, and she avoided their gaze for a couple of minutes.

"Are we doing something?" Dean asked "Are we meant to be guessing what's on your mind, 'cause that's more Sam's department"

"Isabel, is everything OK?" Sam asked a little concerned. He'd come to know his cousin pretty well in the past month or so, and he knew that something was up.

"I want to ask you something" She said finally looking up.

Her eyes locked with Sam's and he saw sadness, apprehension and fear. Whatever she was going to ask, it wasn't if she could ride shotgun or pick the next radio station in the car. She was fidgeting in her seat nervously. What was she afraid of?

"There's nothing you can't say to us, Bel" He said encouragingly.

"Yeah, go on" Dean said slowly, but both Sam and Isabel could hear the underlying stiffness in his tone. He wasn't sure what was going through his cousin's mind, but knowing her, it could be anything under the sun.

"How would you feel if I told you that I would like to stay here?" She asked tentatively as she watched her cousins anxiously.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, in confusion and a little relief. She wondered what they thought she was going to say.

"How long? I mean, we can leave next week if you want, or I guess we could always come back, after Graceland" Dean started.

"No" She said quickly "I mean, if _I_ stay here…indefinitely…with Missouri"

They watched her silently and the tension in the atmosphere was thick as it settled around them. So thick it was almost like a fourth presence in the room. She could almost feel it, taste it, and touch it.

"I'm not following" Dean said turning to Sam, though the look on his face said he was following her every word.

"You want to move to Kansas?" Sam asked, wondering if someone had just turned the thermostat down in the room as the ambience turned glacial "You don't want to come with us?"

"I just" She stumbled with her words and she didn't know if she could lie like Missouri and John had asked her to "I just think…"

"Are you pissed at us?" Dean interrupted, still confused "Is this about the fight we had the other day?"

"No, of course not" She said quickly "I just think this might be good for me"

"You just _think_?" Dean spat back as he stood up "Just like that, out of the blue, you've had this…epiphany?"

"Isabel, you're not making sense" Sam said gently, trying to hold on to the calm that had obviously completely just escaped his brother's grasp "You sure you're OK? Have you taken your medication today?"

"Yes I'm OK, I'm not made out of glass!" She took offense to his condescending tone "Don't treat me like I'm a raving lunatic"

"Sam's right, you don't know what you're saying" Dean cut in derisively "Bel, will you please just go grab your stuff so we can get going?"

"Dean, I'm serious here" She said in exasperation "I'm not angry, or crazy or anything. I was just thinking last night…"

"Last night?" Dean asked as his expression changed and he narrowed his eyes at her, glancing briefly towards the kitchen "Did Missouri say something to you? Was this _her_ idea?" He hoped the psychic could read his thoughts through the wall separating them.

She paled "No" She said weakly "I did talk to her about it, yes, but this was my idea"

He moved closer to stand in front of her on the chair, looking down as he towered over her. He bent over and rested his hands on the armrests, effectively trapping her. She backed further into the chair as his eyes leveled with hers. He watched her closely for a few seconds, his eyes narrowed until a small dark smile broke over his face.

"You're lying" He said evenly as he continued to watch her intently, daring her to deny it.

She swallowed "I'm not" She said halfheartedly, and Dean didn't have to be psychic to know he'd been right. He straightened up again and she knew he was doing his 'intimidation' bit.

"Tell me what she said to you" He said softly, but firmly.

"Dean..." She started.

"Tell me what she said to you" He repeated slowly.

She crumbled. She didn't see why she had to come out of this like the bad guy. As far as she was concerned she was as much a victim here as Sam and Dean were. Why should Missouri not share part of the blame?

"Missouri told me that she saw danger in my future if I went along with you" She said finally "That something bad would happen"

"You don't honestly believe her" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Why not?" Isabel said "I think we can all agree now that she's legit, and yes, I believe her" She turned to Sam, knowing she'd have more luck with him "You do too, don't you Sam?"

"I don't want to leave you" Sam said "Is that the only reason you want to do this?"

"There's a few" She said.

"Well?" Dean bit back as he moved away from her and started pacing "Let's hear them then"

She sighed tiredly. If was going to be an ass about it, then fine, let him hear them.

"I don't want to be the reason for something bad happening, especially if I'm being given a chance to prevent it"

"You don't know if…"

"I wasn't finished" She said in her best school teacher tone.

"Fine" Dean said cuttingly "Keep going"

"I don't want to hold you back, and before you interrupt and disagree with me" She said as Dean opened his mouth to protest "You know it's true. You know I would hold you back. This life…you're right, Dean…it's not for me. I've seen enough weird stuff to last me a lifetime. I don't want to do what you do. I'm sorry guys, but I want to get better, I want to get a job, and I want to settle down. I need stability right now"

"OK" Dean said with forced patience "So you don't want to do this forever, I get it. But _now_? You want to call this trip off right now?"

"I also don't want anything to happen to me, as selfish as it sounds, I think I've been through enough already, and I'm sure you don't want anything to happen to me either, do you?" She finished with the guilt trip, which she knew would seal the deal for them. Dirty trick, but necessary.

"OK, so we stay with you, for a while at least" Dean said, his tone now laced with a little desperation.

He could tell his cousin had made up her mind about this, and while he didn't really want to talk her out of it, he didn't want to leave her now. Not after all they'd been through recently.

"No, you need to do your thing. You don't want to stay, and I don't want to be the one to make you" She said "Please guys, let me stay. Really, it's what I want"

"It's the demon, isn't it?" Sam asked suddenly. He'd been quiet the entire time, trying to figure out the underlying reason for Isabel's seemingly out-of-nowhere resolution.

Dean and Isabel turned to him.

"What?" Isabel asked, wondering to herself if she seriously thought Sam wouldn't put two and two together.

"The thing that killed mom and Jessica" Sam said, trying to reign in the rising rage in his voice "It's going to come after you if you're with us, isn't it? If you're…with _me_"

Isabel swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing that she couldn't deny what Sam was saying. Like Missouri had said, Sam had powers all of his own. It was too late now to sugar-coat anything.

"I don't want to become another reason for your crusade" She said with determination.

It was true; she didn't want to be another reason for their revenge-driven cause. Sam had called it justice once, but she knew that was only part of it and a greater part of it, for all the Winchester men, was revenge. It always had been.

"You're telling us to leave you, or you might die" Dean offered, his tone laced with bitterness, though she knew his anger wasn't directed at her, but rather the unfairness of the situation.

"I'm just telling you to continue with what you were doing before you came to find me, and I'm just going to be here in Kansas instead of Illinois. It's not like I'm joining the witness protection program and leaving the country forever. We'll keep in touch and we're going to see each other again"

The boys were quiet for a moment.

"We have to find dad and finish this _now!_" Dean said resolutely as he turned to Sam "I want this to be over Sam, I want that thing to die"

"Is this what you really want Isabel?" Sam asked her as he watched her face for any signs that she was having second thoughts.

"It is Sam" She said "I'll be happy here. I'll get a fresh start"

He nodded and smiled at her slightly. It wasn't actually a bad idea. He didn't really want to drag Isabel all over the country in a search for their father and the demon that had killed two of the women in his life, especially if it meant she might become a third. Even without counting the demon, their journey so far had been wrapped in danger and all it would take was a moment of distraction and Isabel could get hurt, or even killed. He and Dean could take care of themselves, they'd been hunting since they were kids, but Isabel was not a fighter, and she was still not entirely healed mentally. He wouldn't make her live her days locked up in dingy motel rooms while he and Dean went out hunting. He would not do that to her.

"OK" He said finally, with a somber nod of his head. Dean turned sharply to him again.

"OK?" Dean argued as he looked at his brother in disbelief "No, not OK! No!"

"Dean, it's what she wants" Sam said to his brother in a placating tone.

"No, it's not. It's nonsense that Missouri has put in her head" He turned abruptly to Isabel "Isabel, enough of this melodrama. Go get your stuff, now!"

"No, Dean" She said with a sad shake of her head, which only seemed to infuriate him more.

"Isabel, I swear to God…I will drag you kicking and screaming and throw your ass into that car if I have to!" He warned "For the last time, grab your things!"

"Dean, have you heard a word she's said?" Sam asked "It's not safe to…"

"She'll be safe with us!" Dean yelled at his brother. Now he was just lashing out at anyone and neither Sam nor Isabel seemed alarmed at his predictable reaction "We can keep her safe"

"You know what Dean? We probably can" Sam said, now matching the sound of Dean's voice, as he finally rose from his seat "But it's not just about her safety. It's about her happiness. She needs a chance at a normal life. Here she gets a second chance and… I want that for her"

Dean was silenced and he cursed inwardly. He had to agree with Sam and Isabel. Looking at the situation from every angle possible, it was clear that staying here was the best option for her. Here she could heal in a way she probably never would on the road with them, seeing the things she'd see if they took her along, the danger she'd be in just by virtue of what they did. What they hunted. On top of all that, if Missouri was right, there was also the demon.

He was so torn. He'd hunted alone before, but after his dad left, he'd felt really alone. Having Sam back had made a huge difference. They worked well together and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed his little brother all the time he'd been in Stanford. Working together, hunting together; he knew it was meant to be like this. Then Isabel came into the picture, or rather, they'd come into her picture. Not the way he would have chosen to be reunited with his cousin, but nonetheless he was happy to finally have her back in his life. She had provided levity and lightness to their way of life, which he unused to, and a level of closeness he'd never felt before, never having had a woman around for such a long period of time. He'd enjoyed their last month together. He would miss her, and he hated that he would, because it was something he couldn't fight against. Oh God, how he would miss her!

"If it's what you want, then that's what I want too" He said, not really meaning it but unwilling to fight her on it on the off chance Missouri might be right. There was also the fact that it really_ was_ the best thing for her.

"I do" She said, fighting tears that she knew would come once they were gone "But I also want you to keep in touch"

"Absolutely" Sam said "You'll get sick of hearing from us"

His eyes glistened as he looked at her and she prayed to all Gods imaginable that he wouldn't cry or else she would turn into a sobbing mess herself, and then she might just let them talk her into going with them, not matter what she'd promised John.

"I doubt that" She said.

"We should get going" Dean said, pulling out his keys and moving to the door. Isabel stood with him.

"Now?" Sam asked, following the two. He had thought of leaving later, possibly even the next day. Maybe they could have lunch or dinner together, even go to a bar for a few drinks "I thought maybe we could…"

"If I don't walk away now…" Dean said, letting the sentence hang as he looked at Isabel then down at the ground, and for the first time Isabel and Sam saw a side to Dean he'd never shown them before.

"Like a Band-Aid?" Isabel suggested with a slight smirk.

"Like a Band-Aid" Dean repeated in assent. He wanted this over and done with as quickly as possible.

Sam nodded in understanding, not having realized how hard this was on his brother.

"Alright then" He walked over to Isabel and looked down at her, studying her closely as if he was trying to commit her face to memory.

"No need to be so glum boys" Isabel said as steady as she could "It's not goodbye"

Sam hugged her tightly, holding her to him for a long time. His arms were wrapped all the way around her and she could hardly see as the side of her face was pressed against his chest. She wrapped her own arms around him.

"Take care" He whispered as he held her "Take your medication, behave and please call us if you need anything"

"OK" She said, muffled through his shirt.

"Promise me" He said taking a step back and bringing his face level with hers "Anything, you call. Anytime. Promise"

"I promise" She said, letting her arms drop "I'll miss you Sammy"

"Me too" He said. He kissed her on the cheek and stroked her cheek lovingly, before smirking and pointing a warning finger in her face "Stay away from the bad boys"

She chuckled "See no evil, hear no evil, date no evil. Got it"

Sam walked to the door and waited for his brother to say goodbye.

"I'm not good at this" Dean admitted.

"Improvise" Isabel said with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

He rushed to her and lifted her into a strong bear hug, squeezing so tight she couldn't breath. She would have said something except that just like that, she was released and placed back on her feet. He kissed the top of her head and looked down at her.

"See you soon?"

"You bet" She said standing on the tip of her toes and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Love you, kitten" He turned promptly and walked past Sam out the door, leaving without a second glance.

"He used the L word" Sam said once Dean had left.

"I know" Isabel said in surprise through the lump in her throat "You have got to put that in your journal"

"It's a momentous occasion" Sam nodded. He looked at Isabel one last time as he reached the door.

"I hope you find what you're looking for Sam" She said.

He smiled and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. Dean had already started the car and Sam stepped into the passenger seat. He looked at his brother but Dean was staring straight ahead.

"Where to?" Dean asked trying to hide a sniff with a cough.

"Graceland?" Sam asked trying to lighten the mood. Dean looked at him tiredly "Too soon for jokes?"

"Sometimes, Sam…" Dean said quietly "…I hate this life too"

Without another word he pulled out and drove off, as quickly as the Impala could take them, out of Lawrence, Kansas. Away from Isabel, away from their home, away from their past.


	19. Epilogue

Tears felt soundlessly and freely down Isabel's cheeks as she watched her cousins' car drive away. She wiped them off as she heard footsteps behind her. The time to really fall apart would come later for her, not in front of them.

"All that power" She heard Missouri say "How could he not know you were here?"

"They can't know I'm here yet" John said "It's not time"

She took a deep breath. She hadn't realized John had been in the house all along. Missouri was right, how could Sam not have felt it?

"Isabel, are you OK honey?" Missouri asked as they reached her and stood in front of the window with her.

She chose not to dignify the psychic's question with an answer, especially when she already had to know what it was. She turned to John and watched him in silence. This was now the second time he'd taken her cousins from her and left her completely alone, and even though he had a good reason, it was impossible to not resent him, even a little. Sure the demon was connected to Sam somehow, but Isabel couldn't help but think that, had John just let Mary's death go, this thing would not have set out to bring down the Winchester men, hitting them where it hurt most.

"I hope you know what you're doing, John" She said steadily.

He looked at her but didn't say anything. He had nothing to say. He hoped he knew what he was doing too. But had he done the right thing by taking Isabel from his boys? He couldn't be sure. Still, he thought, better safe than sorry.

"It's for the best dear" Missouri said "Trust me"

"I need one more favor from you Isabel" John said gently.

She looked at him wearily. What could he possibly want now? He could ask her to donate a kidney right now and it would still be easier than what she'd just had to do.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"I need you to send Dean these coordinates" He said handing him a piece of paper with number handwritten on it "A week from today"

"What are they for?" She asked in confusion.

"For a place in Rockford, Illinois" John said "It's a haunting"

She sighed "What do I say when he asks where I got them from?" She asked then narrowed his eyes at him "I'm _not_ going to lie to them"

"Can you block your number so he doesn't know they came from you?"

She let out a big breath and closed her eyes. She didn't want to do this. She really, really, really didn't want to do this.

"I guess, but…"

"Isabel, please?" He pleaded "I will call them when it's safer. But I can't right now. This is important"

"Fine" She said "But if they ask me straight out if I've seen or talked to you, I will not lie to them, John. I owe them more than that and remember…" She said harshly "… I don't owe you anything"

"I know" He said placing a kiss on her temple as he headed out the door "Thank you for this"

"Uncle John?" She called out to him.

"Yeah" His hand rested on the doorknob and he turned to her.

"You'll find this thing, won't you?" She asked "Promise me you'll finish this soon"

He nodded and smiled "We will" He said "Take care sweetheart"

He watched her, probably waiting for her to call him on the use of the pet name she'd specifically asked him never to use on her. But she didn't. Not knowing when and if she'd ever see him again, she just let it go.

"You too"

And just as quickly as he walked into her life, he left again, leaving both women alone in the house. A bell from the kitchen chimed and Isabel jumped slightly, turning to Missouri.

"The cookies are done" Missouri said with a smile "Would you like some, honey?"

"What kind?" Isabel asked, now interested not because she was hungry but because sugar always had the ability to make things seem better.

"Peanut butter"

"They're my favorite"

Missouri smiled even wider and nodded "I know"

Isabel chuckled quietly and turned to the window again "Of course you do"

"I made them just for you" Missouri said walking back into the kitchen and leaving Isabel alone in the room.

Yep, Isabel thought to herself cynically, alone again. Surprisingly, she wasn't as devastated as she had been the first time around. Yes, it was going to be hard to start her life again, but this time she was not on her own. Whether they were with her or not, she had Sam and Dean in her life now, and she knew they would drop their entire lives without a second thought if she needed them. All it would take was a phone call. She'd also found out the real reason her uncle had turned her back on her, and though she didn't like it, it finally gave her a sense of closure.

She smiled to herself and nodded in approval, this whole thing had actually turned out better than she could have ever hoped for. She headed towards the kitchen with a renewed sense of peace and acceptance. Now, about these peanut butter cookies.

XXXX

AN: Well, as the title of this chapter suggests, it was the last one and the story is now over. I'm very sad, but I had to finish it somewhere. I haven't thought of anything to follow this, but I think I may write something to fit into the later part of season 1. Maybe the boys could visit Isabel in Lawrence and the three could get drawn into something supernatural before they leave her again to find the demon.

In any case, I want to thank you all for reading and for your friendly and wonderful reviews. I really enjoyed writing this. But now that I'm done writing, maybe I'll finally have time to _read_ some fanfics.

Toodles, AT


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